The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and British broadcaster Piers Morgan on Thursday exchanged words on social media over the broadcasting of the minister’s recent interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Tuggar had earlier requested that the full and unedited version of his interview be broadcast, warning that selective editing could distort Nigeria’s image and amplify “misleading narratives and allegations of religious persecution.”
In a statement on his X handle on Wednesday, Tuggar stated that he appeared on Morgan’s program to provide a factual and contextual response to claims about religious persecution in the country.
He mentioned that his statements were backed by verified data, even if they did not align with certain preconceived opinions.
The minister emphasized that transparency required the entire interview to be shown “exactly as recorded.”
Tuggar wrote, “I appeared on @piersmorgan’s flagship program, @PiersUncensored, where I presented a factual and contextual perspective on the misleading narratives and allegations of religious persecution in Nigeria.
“My explanations, supported by verifiable data, may not have conformed to certain preconceived views.
“However, for the sake of integrity and transparency, it is essential that the full interview be aired exactly as recorded, without edits or selective omissions. Nigeria’s truth must not be distorted to fit external biases.”
In a direct reply to the post, Morgan denied claims of censorship of the interview.
He wrote, “You seem to be panicking, Foreign Minister. Rest assured, we will air your comments in full; the show is called Uncensored for a reason. Whether people believe what you said remains to be seen.”
Tuggar later replied, “I am as cool as a cucumber, Mr. Morgan. And if I weren’t more equable, I would say you are flattering yourself, but I won’t.
“Just want to make sure you don’t edit out the parts where you kept referring to the ‘Chibok Boys’! Well researched.”
At the time of filing this report, the complete version of the interview had not been released on Morgan Uncensored’s official social media platforms.
