The Federal Government has taken legal action against Daily Trust newspaper following a controversial article published on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
The article alleged that the government had entered into a $150 billion Samoa Deal, stipulating that loan recipients must enforce LGBTQ rights within their jurisdictions.
The report swiftly ignited a wave of criticism from various quarters, including religious leaders, politicians, and civil servants, who condemned the purported agreement as contradictory to Nigerian law, tradition, and culture.
In response, the Federal Government vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that the Samoa agreement focuses solely on enhancing the nation’s economic development and does not include provisions related to same-sex marriage.
Atiku Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, emphasized that there is no mention of same-sex marriage in the signed document.
Addressing the controversy during a press briefing on Saturday, Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris said the government is committed to upholding freedom of speech while it will pursuing legal action against what it described as misinformation and fake news propagated by the publication.
“While respecting the freedom of speech and expression of all citizens and the fourth estate, the FG will make an official report against @daily_trust to the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria and use the court to seek redress against the misinformation and fake news of @daily_trust”, the minister said.
