The National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), also known as the media Ombudsman, has asked Daily Trust newspaper to apologise to the Nigerian government over the claim in its report that provisions relating to LGBTQ+ rights were included in the Samoa Agreement.
The controversial report was published on July 4, 2024, on the newspaper’s front page with the headline “LGBT: Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal.”
On July 8, 2024, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation wrote to the ombudsman about it.
In a 19-page report on Monday, the commission said the paper’s journalistic standards fell short of the Revised Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists, 2022.
The NMCC’s report found the Daily Trust article to be inaccurate, particularly in its claims that the Samoa Agreement contained clauses relating to LGBTQ+ rights.
The commission noted that, while earlier drafts of the agreement had included contentious references to sexual orientation and gender identity, the final 403-page document did not contain such provisions.
The Daily Trust report was ruled to have violated Article 2.1 of the 2022 Revised Code of Journalism Ethics, which mandates accuracy in reporting.
The NMCC directed the newspaper to apologise both in print and online and to take internal steps to ensure a recurrence is prevented.
The ombudsman knocked the government over its handling of information concerning the Samoa Agreement.
The commission argued that the controversy might have been avoided if the government had been more open and proactive in communicating with the public.
“The federal government’s lack of openness and failure to proactively engage the public on the Samoa Agreement created an environment of uncertainty and speculation,” the NMCC said.
The report warned that secrecy in governance can erode public trust and deepen suspicion.
The NMCC is chaired by Emeka Izeze, former managing director of Guardian newspaper.
