The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged the new generation of content creators and social media influencers to tone down negative rhetorics about Nigeria and prioritize the nation‘s interests by upholding the highest ethical standards in the expression and delivery of their crafts.
Idris made the remarks in Abuja on Friday on the occasion of the celebration of the National Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024 with the theme “New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information” organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in collaboration with the International Media and Information Literacy Institute, Open University of Nigeria.
“At this juncture, let me also say that I made remarks only recently that if we want Nigeria to grow, we cannot emphasise always on the negatives. It is important that we criticize and hold government and other leaders to account because that is the role of the media and we cannot take that away. But it is also critical that in reporting, we prioritize national interest.
“I repeat, we cannot expect to grow and having people to come and invest in our country when all we push out all the time is negative. There are lots of positive information coming out of Nigeria and it is our duty to be patriotic when reporting so that Nigeria can reach its desired destination of prosperity that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu talks about,” he said.
The Minister condemned the proliferation of fake news on social media, warning that, if not curbed, it poses an existential threat to the unity, peace, and development of the country.
“As we embrace the digital revolution, we must acknowledge its transformative impact on how information is created, shared, and consumed. The rise of social media, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), online platforms and the new generation of digital content creators has democratized information flow, allowing voices from all corners of society to be heard. Literally, anyone with a laptop or an android phone has become a potential news creator, capable of reaching large number of people. However, this digital landscape with its limitless opportunities also poses serious challenges, especially with the spread of misinformation and disinformation, whether created by humans or generated by Artificial Intelligence. We must really work hard and think out of the box to find creative way out of this menace,” he said.
Idris, however, hailed UNESCO for championing the global initiative to stem the tide of fake especially in Nigeria through the establishment of the International Media and Information Literacy Institute in the country.
He stated that misinformation and disinformation are not unique to Nigeria but represent a global menace that requires collective responsibility to sanitize social media and establish an information channel free from fake news.
“It is therefore in recognition of the role of Media and Information Literacy as an enabler of inclusive public information dissemination that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, undertook to fulfill the commitment made by the previous administration when Nigeria hosted the 11th edition of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week Feature Conference in 2022 to establish a UNESCO International Media and Information Literacy Institute in Nigeria.
“I am glad to announce that the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, working with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Open University of Nigeria, is inches closer to actualizing this goal. In the coming weeks, we are expecting a team of independent experts from UNESCO in Nigeria to assess the level of our preparedness and compliance to the institute becoming a UNESCO category 2 Institute. It is our conviction that given the level of commitment and interest shown by Mr. President and the entire team working on the project, we will succeed,” he said.
Idris said when it kicks off, institute will offer programmes and courses that equip Nigerians, Africans, and people worldwide with requisite skills to understand the changing landscape of digital communication and how to navigate it safely.
In his remarks, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, said UNESCO brought together experts and academia of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and formed a coalition aimed at facilitating the coordination of interventions on MIL in Nigeria, promote synergy amongst stakeholders toward advocacies on National Policies, Integration of MIL into school’s curriculum, and promotion of MIL literacy society.
“UNESCO understands the importance of mainstreaming MIL into the educational system which it has done over the years. This includes mainstreaming the MIL curriculum into the curriculum of Colleges of Education, building the capacities of Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council curriculum experts in preparation for the recent National Curriculum Review, to increase their understanding on all forms and processes of MIL and participatorily identify the best strategy for reflecting MIL in the various elements of the curriculum. We also work with teachers at states level towards ensuring they are equipped to mainstream MIL into their lesson notes and teach this in the classroom,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Prof. Olufemi Peters, thanked the Minister for his support for the institution towards consolidating the activities of the International Media and Literacy Institute, which is domiciled in the university.
Rabiu Ibrahim
Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
