THE SAMOA DISPUTE: A COMMENDABLE RESOLUTION
Daily Trust’s unreserved apology for its inaccurate report is commendable, writes Bolaji Adebiyi
Eze Anaba, president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, was upbeat on Thursday when he mounted the rostrum at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, to deliver his goodwill message at the 1st News Agency of Nigeria Annual International Lecture. The theme was Insecurity in the Sahel (2008 -2024): Dissecting Nigeria’s Challenges. Genesis, Impacts and Options. He took permission to digress from the privileged audience, which included Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state; Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser; Abubakar Bagudu, minister of Budget and Economic Planning; Idris Mohammed, minister of Information and National Orientation; Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff, and other top security chiefs.
The president of Nigerian editors thought that the Daily Trust newspaper’s apology the previous day for the inaccuracies in a story published in July had generally been glossed over as a non-issue. He said it was worthy of note because it showed that the press could own up to its mistake and resolve any dispute with the federal government without recourse to lengthy judicial process or two-fighting. Ministers Bagudu and Idris agreed with him.
Eze was right. In the past, it was common for the media to be arrogant even when the facts were bare that they were wrong. It was also usual for the government to take undue advantage of the lapse to hound the offending medium. It is significant that the dispute that arose over a misleading report on the Samoa Agreement was resolved amicably using the press’s independent conflict resolution mechanism.
On July 4, 2024, Daily Trust said in its lead story, LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal, that the federal government had signed an agreement that compelled the nation to respect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights in exchange for loans. Despite the prompt denial by the government, public agitation, particularly from religious and civil society bodies, rose against the agreement. Fearing a possible escalation of the protests, the government sought to douse the mounting tension by taking the newspaper to task. It had two options: go to court or approach the Nigerian Media Complaint Commission, the press Ombudsman. It uncharacteristically chose the latter.
That decision paid off as it lowered the temper in the public space. Filling its complaint through the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation on July 8, the government said the publication contained false and misleading information that severely threatened national security. It stated that because of the alleged false report, individuals and government officials had been subjected to hate speech, threats, intimidation, and cyberbullying across social media. It, therefore, requested the NMCC to intervene, calling for a thorough investigation of the alleged misleading publication.
The government also requested the Commission to direct the newspaper’s management to publicly retract and correct the alleged false information, with equal prominence as the original article. It made two other demands: Direct the newspaper’s management to issue an unequivocal apology for allegedly recklessly disseminating false information and implement stricter editorial guidelines to prevent a repeat of such alleged unwholesome report by any newspaper.
The complaint became the Commission’s first assignment since its inauguration in April 2023. It is led by Emeka Izeze, a fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a former managing director of Guardian Newspapers Limited. It has eight other formidable members: Abubakar Mahmoud, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association; Chinyere Okunna, professor and deputy vice-chancellor (academics), Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Lanre Idowu, editor-in-chief, Diamond Publications Limited and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Edetaen Ojo, executive director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA); Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, journalist, lawyer and arbitrator; and Eugenia Abu, broadcaster, author, and columnist.
Without a doubt, the calibre of the Commission’s membership was bound to inspire confidence in an aggrieved that they would receive justice. The outcome of its investigation and recommendations bears testimony to this. Significantly, it rendered its decision within three months, publishing its recommendations on September 23. It said it listened to Daily Trust and weighed its defence against the profession’s ethics and standards as enunciated in its revised 2022 Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. What did it find out?
Both sides had their share of blame. “The NMCC finds that the 403-page Samoa Agreement does not, in fact, contain any clause that compels underdeveloped and developing nations to support the agitations by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community for recognition as a condition for getting financial and other supports from advanced nations. Indeed, there is no reference whatsoever in the agreement to the issue of LGBTQ,” the report stated. That was for Daily Trust.
However, it found the government wrong too: “This controversy could have been avoided if the government had been more forthcoming on the Samoa Agreement by proactively announcing to the Nigerian people that the federal government had signed the agreement as well as explaining the essentials, implications and benefits of the agreement to the country and to the Nigerian people shortly after it signed the document.”
Saying the report was inaccurate and fell short of the required ethical and professional standard, the Ombudsman asked the newspaper to apologise to the federal government and take internal measures to prevent a recurrence. The government was admonished to improve its public communication and warned that secrecy erodes public trust, explaining that transparency and accountability were crucial aspects of the democratic process.
Stepping away from the mutual antagonism of the past, both sides accepted the Commission’s verdict. The government was the first to embrace the outcome, hoping that the media would be more cautious in its treatment of national security and interest stories.
On Wednesday, Daily Trust said, “We accept the verdict of the NMCC without any equivocation. We apologise to the Federal Government for any inconvenience the story might have caused. We also apologise to our readers and the public for getting the story wrong in the first place.”
The amicable resolution has opened a new path in government-media relations. It shows that the media could regulate itself and deal with conflict between it and the reading public. The government’s decision to seek arbitration and the newspaper’s apology are commendable acts that demonstrate the invaluable benefits of arbitration.
Adebiyi is the media assistant to the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu
