IPI Confab: Nigerian Press Remains Assertive, Solid – Information Minister
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. Mohammed Idris has said that the Nigerian press remains one of the most assertive and unyielding in the world with its display of boldness and fearlessness in the face of intimidation.
He said that in spite of the occasional challenges, the press remains largely free in Nigeria, particularly under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who he described as a staunch advocate for press freedom and the protection of Nigeria’s civic space.
Idris, who stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at the 2024 Annual Conference of the International Press Institute, Nigeria, with the theme “Democracy, Media Freedom and the Imperative of Protecting the Nigerian Civic Space,” said that he was not saying that there have not been challenges and threats, but on the whole, Nigeria has enjoyed an openness and freedom that has seen the proliferation of press organizations across print, broadcast, and digital media.
He also said that the Nigerian press has an irrepressible capacity to speak truth to power, adding that the media has been a constant presence and companion in Nigeria’s important journey of democracy, stressing that the Nigerian press has produced some of Nigeria’s most talented and remarkable professionals, great writers, golden-voiced broadcasters, innovative entrepreneurs, and Proprietors over the decades.
In the words of Idris; “But beyond the professional talent, the greatest asset of the Nigerian press has been the boldness, the fearlessness in the face of intimidation, the irrepressible capacity to speak truth to power regardless of the cost”.
The information minister used the occasion to explain the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tax reform initiative, saying that it will go a long way towards simplifying Nigeria’s existing tax regimes and making compliance easier as well as reducing the tax burden on the most vulnerable Nigerians.
He further said; “A recurring highlight of the reform is the introduction of several new tax exemptions that will benefit various categories of individuals and businesses.
“Importantly, these tax reforms also complement ongoing macroeconomic reforms that are helping convert trillions of Naira that were previously lost to wasteful and abused subsidy programs into substantial savings that are now able to finance productive sectors like high-impact physical and digital infrastructure, student loans and stipends, low-cost consumer credit, agricultural production, targeted social investment, and many more – all of the foundational elements required for a prosperous country that the world cannot ignore,” Idris said.
Speaking in turn, immediate past Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed said the media and government must work towards greater cooperation, transparency, and respect for each other’s role towards addressing noticeable challenges.
Mohammed stressed the need to establish open channels of communication by ensuring regular dialogue between government officials and media representatives that can help both parties understand each other’s constraints and objectives.
