FG refutes reports of Ministerial Briefing relocation to London

By Kunle Sanni

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has firmly dismissed media reports claiming that the Federal Government’s Ministerial Press Briefing Series has been relocated from Abuja to London.

Speaking at the eighth edition of the briefing session held at the National Press Centre in Abuja on Thursday, Idris described the claims as false and misleading. The session was attended by 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 gathering is the clearest response to those spreading the notion that we are taking these briefings abroad. Our mandate is to inform Nigerians from within their country, and this platform—right here at the National Press Centre—is where we engage the public,” Idris said.

Reacting to reports that suggested he was to speak at a similar session in London, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, also debunked the claim, aligning with Idris’ position and confirming that he was never scheduled for such an event abroad.

During the session, Idris also shared positive updates on the Nigerian economy, pointing to new data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as evidence of ongoing improvement. According to the NBS April 2025 Consumer Price Index, headline inflation dropped to 23.71%—a decline of 0.52% from March’s 24.23%. On a month-to-month basis, inflation fell from 3.90% in March to 1.86% in April.

“This progress is not accidental. It reflects the impact of deliberate and focused policy interventions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration,” Idris said.

He highlighted food inflation as a key area of improvement, noting that year-on-year food inflation eased to 21.26% in April, with a month-on-month reduction from 2.18% to 2.06%. According to him, this was driven by lower prices of staple food items such as maize flour, wheat grain, yam flour, okra, soybeans, rice, and beans.

“While we are aware that challenges persist, these figures clearly show that our policies are working. The signs of relief are becoming evident, and we expect that as inflation continues to ease, Nigerians will experience better purchasing power and improved living conditions,” he added.