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BBC on Lagos: Our position

By Dora Akunyili, Minister of Information and Communications, Nigeria
05 May 2010   |   10:00 pm
SIR: The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to a recent documentary by the BBC on Nigeria called “Welcome to Lagos.” Nigerians who have followed the documentary series on BBC 2 from and around the world have come to a conclusion that the documentary is nothing but a poor reflection of…
SIR: The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to a recent documentary by the BBC on Nigeria called “Welcome to Lagos.” Nigerians who have followed the documentary series on BBC 2 from and around the world have come to a conclusion that the documentary is nothing but a poor reflection of development efforts in Nigeria’s economic capital city which has witnessed massive positive changes in recent times.
While the Federal Government of Nigeria acknowledges the existence of challenges of urbanisation in Lagos, as is the case in other major cities in different parts of the world (including London), Nigeria rejects the deliberate attempt by the BBC to portray Lagos and by implication, Nigeria as a city and nation of slums and scavengers.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is therefore disappointed that the BBC with an acclaimed reputation in the media failed to adhere to even minimal ethical code of balance and fairness in the production of the infamous documentary. The Government of Nigeria views the documentary as a deliberate design by the BBC to denigrate the dignity of our country before the international community, create fear and frustration in the minds of tourists and potential investors in the country.
The Federal Government of Nigeria therefore requests the BBC to stop forthwith the broadcast of the documentary and restrict same from further circulation in the best interest of relations between the BBC, the government and Nigerian people.

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