Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, Wednesday announced a new partnership with the United States to enhance press freedom and tackle the growing threat of misinformation and fake news in the country.
This collaboration was disclosed following a meeting between Minister Idris and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, in Abuja on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, Idris said the partnership seeks to ensure that Nigeria’s press remains one of the freest in the world while addressing ongoing challenges.
“The ambassador talked about some issues that he thinks we need to address, to improve in the area of press freedom, and we have also given him assurance on what we are doing,” Idris said.
“He recognises the fact that we are doing a great job in ensuring that Nigerian press is not just free but also one of the freest around the world.”
Idris emphasized that the Tinubu administration places a high priority on press freedom and that the government remains committed to further improving the environment for media practitioners.
The minister noted that they also discussed misinformation and disinformation and how to jointly address the impact of fake news on society.
“There’s no way you can build a virile society when you promote fake news and don’t take the issue of misinformation and disinformation seriously,” Idris added.
Ambassador Mills praised Nigeria’s efforts in supporting press freedom and reiterated the U.S. government’s commitment to collaborating on this issue.
He acknowledged the shared global challenge of disinformation, particularly its impact on democratic systems, and discussed strategies with the minister to combat these issues effectively.
The meeting focused on enhancing the longstanding relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria, particularly regarding the rights of journalists and maintaining an open and transparent media landscape.
Accompanying Ambassador Mills were U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy Counselor Lee McManis and U.S. Embassy spokesperson Gilbert Morton.
Nigerian officials present included Voice of Nigeria Director General Mallam Jibrin Baba-Ndace and National Orientation Agency Director General Lanre Issa-Onilu.
The partnership between the two nations is expected to provide additional resources and strategies to strengthen media freedom and ensure accurate information dissemination, an essential pillar of Nigeria’s democracy.