The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has refuted claims making the rounds in traditional and digital media suggesting that the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing Session had been moved from Nigeria to the United Kingdom.
Idris addressed the issue during his opening remarks at the eighth edition of the Ministerial Press Briefing Session held at the National Press Centre in Abuja.
Present at the event were the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev; and the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.
“This is your answer to the insinuation that the press briefing session is relocating to abroad. We have our responsibility first to the Nigerian nation and that’s why we invite these ministers to come here and address Nigerians and those outside this country directly from nowhere but the National Press Centre here in Abuja,” Idris stated.
“So if you think that the ministerial press briefing, for those who are already making the insinuation that it’s being moved outside this country, is false. The platform that the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation is providing is what is happening here in the country,” he added.
Backing Idris, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, who was also reportedly listed to participate in a London press briefing to showcase the Tinubu administration’s achievements, dismissed such reports as baseless.
Idris used the occasion to spotlight recent economic developments, hailing the steady decline in headline inflation as a promising indicator of progress.
Citing the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, he noted significant improvements in the Consumer Price Index.
“Today, I am pleased to announce encouraging news from the National Bureau of Statistics, which released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2025, yesterday. According to the report, the headline inflation rate for April stood at 23.71%, representing a decrease of 0.52% from the 24.23% recorded in March 2025. Similarly, month-on-month, inflation dropped by a notable 2.04%, from 3.90% in March to 1.86% in April,” he said.
The Minister attributed these economic gains to deliberate policy interventions by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly in the area of food inflation.
“One of the key indicators of relief is the food inflation rate. While food prices remain an important concern for many Nigerians, the year-on-year food inflation rate eased to 21.26% in April. On a month-on-month basis, it slowed to 2.06%, down from 2.18% in March. This positive movement has largely been driven by price reductions in staple items such as maize flour, wheat grain, yam flour, okro, soya beans, rice, and beans,” he noted.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we acknowledge that we are not yet where we desire to be. But these latest figures give us every reason to be hopeful. They show that the hard decisions are beginning to bear fruit. And as inflation eases, we expect to see corresponding improvements in consumer purchasing power and living conditions,” he added.
Idris assured Nigerians that the government will continue implementing policies aimed at improving livelihoods and stabilising the economy, while calling on the media to play a constructive role in spreading factual and optimistic narratives.
He reiterated that Nigeria is at a turning point, and the Tinubu administration remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the well-being of its citizens.