Nigeria’s Ministry of Information on Thursday denied claims that some foreign journalists have been denied
visa by the Federal Government.
The Permanent Secretary, ministry of information, Folasade Yemi-Esan, in a statement said reports that
foreign journalists were denied accreditation to cover the forthcoming general election are false.
Ms. Yemi-Esan said the report is a deliberate ploy by some politicians to smear the image of the Nigerian
government ahead of the elections.
She said the Ministry of Information, following its mandate to create media access to report on Nigeria’s
activities, has processed 300 applications from foreign journalists to secure visas into Nigeria for the election coverage.
She said hundreds of other applications received by the ministry are being processed at the moment, stating that
those who could not secure visa from Nigerian embassies in their countries are probably those who did not follow
due process to secure their accreditation.
Ms. Yemi-Esan appealed to journalists wishing to come to Nigeria to cover the elections to follow due process in
securing the accreditation including the presentation of official correspondence from their organizations.
He said the journalists can also apply online using the email: epd@nigeria.gov.ng
The Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, on Tuesday called on Nigerian authorities to ensure that
international journalists are allowed access to cover the country’s elections this month.
“The legitimacy of Nigeria’s election depends in no small part on whether the international press is allowed
to cover it. We call on authorities to quickly cut through the red tape and approve visas and accreditation for
foreign journalists,” Peter Nkanga, CPJ’s West Africa representative had said.
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