By Ibrahim Ahmadu
The National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), the media ombudsman, has ruled that Daily Trust newspaper violated professional standards in a report published on July 4.
The NMCC stated that the front-page story, titled “LGBT: Nigeria Signs 150 billion dollars Samoa Deal,” contained inaccurate and misleading information, prompting the commission to direct the newspaper to issue an apology.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by NMCC Chairman, Mr Eluem Izeze, and Interim Secretary, Feyi Smith, on Tuesday.
In its 16-page decision, the NMCC stated that the story failed to meet the required standards of accuracy, fairness and balance, as outlined in the 2022 Revised Code of Conduct for Nigerian Journalists.
The ruling came after a complaint was filed by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, on behalf of the Federal Government, on July 8.
The report claimed that the Nigerian government had signed a 150 billion dollar partnership agreement with the European Union under the Samoa Agreement.
It also claimed that clauses requiring countries to support LGBTQ rights were included in the agreement as a condition for receiving aid.
“According to the NMCC’s findings, this claim was false.
“The 403-page Samoa Agreement contains no such provision or reference to LGBTQ issues, contrary to the Daily Trust report,” the statement said.
The ministry’s complaint, signed by Dr Ngozi Onwudiwe for Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Minister, stated that the misleading report triggered hate speech, threats, and cyberbullying against government officials on social media.
The NMCC’s review process, led by a complaints committee, involved a thorough examination of documents submitted by both parties.
The Federal Government provided three documents, while Daily Trust presented 13.
After an exhaustive review, the NMCC concluded that the newspaper’s report showed a significant lapse in editorial judgement.
As a result, the NMCC instructed Daily Trust to publicly acknowledge that the report was inaccurate and misleading.
It was also instructed to publish an apology prominently in both its print and online editions, implement internal editorial reforms to prevent future occurrences and publish the NMCC’s findings within seven days.
The NMCC also criticised the Federal Government for failing to proactively disclose details of the Samoa Agreement to the public, noting that transparency would have prevented the spread of false information.
It noted the importance of openness in governance and urged the government to communicate more effectively with citizens.
The NMCC expressed gratitude to both the Federal Government and Daily Trust for cooperating with the commission’s investigation and reiterated its commitment to upholding journalistic standards and protecting press freedom.
The final report has been forwarded to both the Ministry of Information and Daily Trust.
The NMCC is an independent co-regulatory body established by the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), NUJ and others.
It provides a forum for resolving press complaints fairly, quickly, and free of charge, while upholding journalism standards and defending press freedom and public rights.
