The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to the new generation of content creators and social media influencers to moderate negative rhetoric about Nigeria.
The government tasked them to prioritise the nation’s interests by upholding the highest ethical standards in the expression and delivery of their crafts.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, issued the warning on Friday in Abuja at an event to celebrate the National Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024.
The 2024 National Global Media and Information Literacy Week is themed “New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information.”
“If we want Nigeria to grow, we cannot always emphasise the negatives. While it is important that we criticise and hold government and other leaders to account because that is the role of the media, it is also critical that in reporting, we prioritise national interest.
“We cannot expect the country to grow and have people come and invest 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 posed an existential threat to the unity, peace, and development of the country.
He commended UNESCO for championing the global initiative to stem the tide of fake news, especially in Nigeria, through the establishment of the International Media and Information Literacy Institute in the country.
Idris stated that misinformation and disinformation are not unique to Nigeria but are global menaces that require collective responsibility to sanitise social media and establish an information channel free from fake news.
In his remarks, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Mr. Abdourahamane Diallo, reiterated the commitment of the organisation to support media information.
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