SPEECH BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND NATIONAL ORIENTATION, MOHAMMED IDRIS, fnipr, AT THE SEVENTH EDITION OF THE 2025 MINISTERIAL PRESS BRIEFING SERIES, HELD AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTRE, RADIO HOUSE, ABUJA, ON THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2025
Protocol.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I warmly welcome you to the seventh edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series. Today’s session features the Honourable Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Abbas, the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, and the Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Muhammed Bello Matawalle.
This forum presents a vital opportunity for both ministers to update Nigerians on the key achievements, ongoing initiatives, and policy directions of the Ministries of Defence and Environment. Through this interactive platform, which is being broadcast live on national television stations and streamed across social media platforms, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to transparency, accountability, and public engagement.
Since the commencement of the 2025 series in February, we have hosted ministers from eight different ministries. Each engagement has provided Nigerians at home and abroad with firsthand insights into the policies and programmes of the Renewed Hope Administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR). Let me reiterate that every minister will have the opportunity to address the public through this platform in the build-up to the 2025 Democracy Day celebrations.
Today’s briefing promises to be no exception. I am confident that Nigerians will hear of the laudable efforts of our Armed Forces in protecting lives and property, as well as in countering insurgency, terrorism, banditry, and other forms of criminality. Similarly, we’ll be fully updated on the key milestones in the Ministry of Environment, especially on our nation’s ecosystem and other green initiatives.
As many of you are aware, “Strengthening National Security for Peace and Prosperity” is the second pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda. This emphasis on security underscores a fundamental truth: no nation can achieve sustainable development without peace and stability.
The Tinubu administration has demonstrated this resolve not merely through words, but through concrete actions – including the acquisition of advanced platforms and armaments, enhanced intelligence gathering, intensive training and retraining of personnel, and strategic global partnerships.
The media, as gatekeepers and partners in nation-building, have a crucial role to play in supporting our military’s morale by highlighting their successes and sacrifices. Our armed forces are not only respected by global allies but also feared by those who threaten our collective peace.
It is equally important to recognize that the fight against insecurity is not limited to kinetic approaches. It is also a battle for the hearts and minds of our people – one that terrorist groups are actively exploiting through propaganda, especially on social media platforms.
I therefore call on our media professionals and editors to be discerning in their reportage. We must deny these groups the undue publicity they crave. We must take them off the front pages and accurately report them as the criminals they are, without glorifying their acts or giving credence to their false narratives. These are not freedom fighters; they are murderers, kidnappers, and destroyers, and they must be presented as such.
Let us remember that responsible and patriotic journalism is essential to building a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria – one that holds promise not just for our nation, but for the stability and development of the entire West African sub-region and the African continent at large.
I sincerely commend the media for your unwavering commitment to this Ministerial Briefing Series. Your efforts in informing the Nigerian public about government programmes and policies are invaluable. As a cornerstone of our democracy, your work continues to foster an informed, engaged, and resilient citizenry.
On this note, it is my honour to invite our distinguished guests, beginning with the Honourable Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, to deliver his presentation.
Thank you for your attention.
