The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says he has<\/p>\n
always regarded the media as partners, hence the cordial relationship he
\nhas enjoyed with them over the years.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a meeting with members of the Newspapers Proprietors
\nAssociation of Nigeria (NPAN) in Lagos on Thursday, the Minister said it
\nis therefore inconceivable that he would attack the media, as some have
\ninsinuated in recent times.<\/p>\n
\u201dGentlemen, I did say, at a different forum, that since we launched the
\nNational Sensitization Campaign (against corruption), corruption has
\nstarted fighting back. I said pseudo-analysts and hack writers have
\ninvaded the media space to shoot down the campaign. You can therefore
\nimagine my consternation when some people extrapolated that to mean that
\nwe have started attacking and blackmailing the media since we launched the
\nNational Sensitization Campaign Against Corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt is apparent that those making this accusation either did not read our
\nstatement in full or, if they did, did not situate it in the proper
\ncontext,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alhaji Mohammed said even when his party was in opposition for many years,
\nhe had never believed that the media could be bought or swayed.<\/p>\n
\u201dAnd this explains why, during our time in the wilderness, we enjoyed more
\nmedia support than even the ruling government or party. We have nothing
\nbut tremendous respect for the media, and we reject any accusation of
\nattacking or blackmailing the media. We welcome any criticism of our
\nefforts, because we believe that will enrich the discourse,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Minister sought the support of the NPAN for the various campaigns
\nwhich the Federal Government has launched or is planning to launch,
\nincluding the National Sensitization Campaign Against Corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201dGentlemen, we need your support for the ongoing campaign against
\ncorruption. Corruption is real and the cost is high. When we released
\nfigures of the huge sums of money that have been looted, we did not do
\nthat to vilify anyone. Rather, our intention is to give Nigerians a
\ndifferent perspective to the anti-graft battle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Quoting a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Alhaji Mohammed
\nsaid PwC compared Nigeria with three other resource-producing countries
\nthat are somewhat less corrupt \u2013 Ghana, Malaysia and Colombia \u2013 and
\nconcluded that Nigeria\u2019s economy, which was worth 513 billion dollars in
\n2014, might have been 22% bigger, if its level of corruption were closer
\nto Ghana\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe report said that by 2030, the size of Nigeria\u2019s economy should triple
\nin real terms come what may. Yet if Nigeria manages to reduce corruption
\nto levels comparable to Malaysia, its economy could be some 37% bigger
\nstill. The additional gain would be worth some 534 billion dollars, or
\nabout as much as the economy is currently worth. If it does nothing to
\nchange, then the cost of corruption in Nigeria would amount to almost
\n2,000 dollars per person per year by 2030. This is the grave situation in
\nwhich we have found ourselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the Minister\u2019s appeal for support, the NPAN Chairman, Mr.
\nNduka Obaigbena, said the association aligned itself \u201dwith your patriotic
\nviews, especially in the fight against corruption\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe NPAN has always been at the forefront of the fight against
\ncorruption, and we welcome the new vista to fight corruption. As the
\nmedia, we will work with you and champion the cause of corruption,\u201d he
\nsaid, urging the government to follow the rule of law and be fair to
\neveryone in tackling corruption.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says he has always regarded the media as partners, hence the cordial relationship he has enjoyed with them over the years.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n