The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, have declared their commitment to press freedom in Nigeria and Africa.
They said this when Mr Mills and his team visited Idris on Wednesday in Abuja.
“I am here today to have a very good conversation about many things we are doing together. We have trade relations, and our cooperation is very strong. We want to make sure we fulfill them.
“We also know that the minister is doing a good job to ensure press freedom in this country. It’s about journalists’ rights. We talked about how we can work together and strengthen freedom of the press in Nigeria, Africa and the world,” Mr Mills said.
According to him, many democratic countries face disinformation, misinformation and fake news.
While emphasising his commitment to press freedom, Mr Mills added, “That is why I am here with my team, and it was a good discussion with the minister.”
Mr Idris said, “The ambassador talked about issues that he thinks we need to address and improve upon. I gave him assurance of what we are doing and he recognises the fact that the Nigerian press is not just free but the freest in the world.
“We are making sure that all of us enjoy press freedom and by the way, it is an important part of any viable democracy.
“I have given him the federal government’s commitment to press freedom and that we will continue to work and ensure that the Nigerian press becomes even freer.”
NAN