One of the leading online newspapers in Nigeria, Premium Times, has faulted the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the video posted on the newspaper’s website about her appearance before the House of Representatives was doctored.
The video captured Okonjo-Iweala’s unduly aggressive attitude before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
Okonjo-Iweala had through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, said that Premium Times doctored the video to create the impression that his boss was the aggressor.
Nwabuikwu alleged that Premium Times failed to show the part of the encounter where some members of the committee threw jibes at the minister.
But Premium Times is standing by the video it uploaded as the true picture of what transpired at the hearing of the House of Representatives Committee.
Indeed, several ministers have spurned the invitation of the National Assembly in the bid to carry out oversight functions and many of them have been rude to the legislators.
The impression created by some of the ministers is that they are above the law and as such cannot be subject to the legislators.
Premium Times, in a statement by its management on Wednesday said: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement by the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, accusing us of uploading a ‘doctored video’ of what transpired during her appearance before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
“In the statement, the minister used an earlier published two-minute video by Channels Television as a yardstick of what the ideal reporting should be concerning that controversial session, describing the Channels publication as ‘the authentic video account of the encounter’.
“We find it unfortunate that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala would seek to create an impression that her session with the lawmakers lasted about two minutes only.
“It is even shocking that the minister and her aides do not understand that two media organizations will not necessarily see the same issue or event the same way.
“In any case, why is one reporting of the session okay by the minister because it suits her agenda and the other is doctored because it doesn’t?
“For the avoidance of doubt, we stand 100 per cent by our published video.
“We challenge Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala to mention any scene, any at all, in our video that did not happen or was doctored.
“Our video was not to question or dismiss what Channels Television published. In fact, we agree completely that Channels reserves the right to determine how to report an event based on the best judgment of its reporters and editors. We had also referenced the Channels clip in our earlier stories of the incident.
“Unlike Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, however, we believe the footage published by the station was definitely just a part of what transpired at the session.
“It was in order to ensure that Nigerian’s get a fuller picture of what transpired that PREMIUM TIMES sourced the full video.
“Our aim was not to repeat what Channels had published (all what Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala accused us of omitting were contained in the Channel’s clip), but to show that a lot more happened than was shown in the Channels video.
“Perhaps Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala would love to explain to Nigerians why she preferred limiting all her encounter with the lawmakers on that day to just a two-minute video, when ours, over four-minute long, is clearly more comprehensive, showing what transpired before the episode shown by Channels.
“Just like Channels Television and other responsible media houses, we are at liberty, using our best editorial judgment, to ensure that true and complete information on actions of public officials are brought to our readers.
“We therefore assure all our readers and viewers that we would continue to abide by basic journalism principles and continue to reveal that which public officials want to keep hidden.”
Nwabuikwu in an earlier statement had said: “It has come to our attention that the online news website, Premium Times has uploaded a doctored video of the last appearance by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
“The video is substantially different from the one which Channels TV independently captured and uploaded which many Nigerians have seen.
“The Premium Times video has been edited to leave out important aspects with the clear intention to make the Coordinating Minister look like the aggressor during the appearance. This is absolutely false.
“Many aspects of the encounter which captured the provocation of the Chair of the Committee were edited out to give a wrong impression.
“For instance, the new video left out his hostile statement “you can decide what happens only in the Federal Ministry of Finance and other ministers you coordinate but you cannot decide what will happen in the committee”.
“This was after the minister indicated her willingness to answer the questions along with the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation and the Accountant General of the Federation.
“Also edited out, amongst others, was the unilateral banging of the gavel by the Chair of the Committee to abruptly terminate the proceedings and the astonished reactions of the audience.
“Significantly, Premium Times did not identify the source of the video which it described as an “exclusive”.
“The clear objective is to deceive Nigerians who were rightly outraged by the treatment meted out to the Minister. But we are confident that Nigerians are too wise to fall for this antic.
“Below is the link to the authentic video account of the encounter as captured by Channels TV.
“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnU6FxLnni4&feature=player_embedded
“Many thanks.”
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