He said the government should prioritize the national interest by maintaining the highest ethical standards in the expression and presentation of crafts.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris, said this on Friday at an event to celebrate the 2024 National Global Media and Information Literacy Week in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the 2024 National Global Media and Information Literacy Week is “The New Digital Frontier of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information”.
The event is hosted by the Ministry in collaboration with the International Media and Information Literacy Institute of the Open University of Nigeria.
“If we want Nigeria to grow, we cannot always focus on the negative aspects.
“While it is important to criticize the government and other leaders and hold them accountable, and that is the role of the media, it is also important to prioritize the national interest in reporting.
“If what we always promote is negative, we cannot expect the country to grow and people to come and invest.
“There is a lot of positive information coming out of Nigeria and it is our duty to be patriotic in our reporting so that Nigeria can reach the 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 unchecked, it poses an existential threat to the country's unity, peace and development.
Mr. Idris commended UNESCO for supporting global efforts to stem the tide of fake news, particularly through the establishment of the International Media and Information Literacy Institute in Nigeria.
He said misinformation and disinformation is not limited to Nigeria but is a global threat and collective responsibility is needed to sanitize social media and establish information channels free of fake news. said.
In his address, Mr. Abdullahmane Diallo, UNESCO Representative in Nigeria, reiterated the organization’s commitment to supporting Media Information Literacy (MIL) in Nigeria.
