As the 2023 General Elections draw nearer, the Federal Government has reiterated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is not and will not be a threat to the media.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed gave the reassurance when a delegation from the International Press Institute, Nigeria chapter, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.
He said Nigeria has one of the most vibrant and free press in the world and the administration was not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally guaranteed rights.
He clarified that some people have misconstrued the government’s efforts to ensure a responsible use of social media as an attempt to tamper with press freedom or threaten independent journalism, emphasising that the government does not harbour such intentions.
“I remember saying at the opening of the 2016 IPI world congress in Qatar that the government of the day in Nigeria is not a threat to the media, and that is not about to change, and that it is not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally guaranteed rights. That statement remains true today as it was then,” Mr Mohammed said.
