Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed has stated that it is an abuse of press freedom for journalists to refer to President Muhammadu Buhari as a major general.
Mohammed stated this on Tuesday when executives of the International Press Institute (IPI), Nigeria chapter, paid a courtesy visit to him at his office in Abuja.
The minister said Nigeria has one of the most vibrant and free press in the world, adding that the media has no reason to fear the government.
“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 it is not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally-guaranteed rights,” he said.
Also Read: Kumuyi Reveals Why Deeper Life Embraced Use Of Television, Social Media And Others
“That statement remains true today as it was then. I even told the congress that the Nigerian media have no reason to fear the government, and that — if anything — it is the government that is at the mercy of the media. That, too, remains true today.
“After all, this must be one of the very few countries in the world where a section of the media can refuse to recognise popular sovereignty, or how does one describe a situation in which a president who was duly elected by millions of Nigeria is willfully stripped of that title, president, and then cheekily cloaked in the garb of a dictator by playing up his military title?
“Despite that abuse of press freedom, those doing that have continued to practise their profession without hindrance.”
via: Information Nigeria
No comments
Post a Comment