Tinubu’s Govt Speaks On Controlling The Media

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had no plans to control the media or pressure any broadcast station.

Naija News reports that Idris made this known on Thursday, during an interview on Channels TV, stressing that media organizations needed to exercise a lot of responsibility.

Asked if media houses could operate confidently without being pressured by the government, the minister stated that nobody is being pressured and Tinubu, as a democrat, will not gag the media.

He said both the operators and regulators would need to work together and cultivate a harmonious relationship in the interest of the public.

He said, “You can see that already; who has been pressured? Which broadcast station or newspaper has been pressured? Nobody has been pressured to do anything, but again it flows from the fact that you have to give people the truth. Nobody will be pressured.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a democrat, and he is a product of communication, why will he now say ‘don’t do it this way’. Nobody has been pressured and there is no intention whatsoever to do that.

“The administration of Bola Tinubu is not interested in controlling the media. People should be allowed to say what they want to say responsibly, as long as your freedom does not also create a problem for others. The most important thing is that nobody is trying to gag or control anybody. What we are simply saying is that, do you work responsibly, so that your freedom does not also become a source of problem for the society.”

He described the challenges of fake social media abuse and fake news as a global menace but that the government was dealing with it in its own way.

He added, “The social media issue and fake news are not just Nigerian problems, they are global problems. I have sat in conferences and seminars outside this country where the issue of fake news was discussed. We are dealing with it in our own way. But as it is, UNESCO is bringing out some kind of guidelines for social media, which all countries will adopt to check it.

“Much as we give freedom for people to say what they want to say, it is incumbent on them to know that the freedom comes with enormous responsibility. You don’t just say you want press freedom, it has to come with enormous responsibility.”