Nigerian Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has reiterated Government’s commitment to free press, saying it played its part in instituting democracy in the country and should be recognized for this vital role.
The Minister spoke while receiving officials of the International Press Institute (IPI), Nigeria, on Tuesday, 19 December 2023.
The Minister re-echoed the position of President Bola Tinubu on the matter, saying he was a product of democratic struggle, had every reason to support freedom of the press, and had promised that government would not consciously trample on the press.
According to the statement released the Ministry, Idris said, “In a democratic society where the role of the media is established, we must allow it to play its role in reporting and setting agenda for development. We only ask practitioners to be responsible in this duty”.
Alhaji Idris noted that the Nigerian polity is desirous of social engineering for which the government requires the support of all stakeholders, including the press. Cleaning this system for optimum performance is a collective responsibility.
He commended the President of IPI Nigeria on his appointment and urged him to apply his excellent example in online publishing to his new role.
Earlier, the President of the IPI, Musikilu Mojeed, said the media landscape in Nigeria is improving, and there is renewed hope for media practice. He called on the government to ensure the safety of journalists wherever they work.
He reassured the minister, who he described as a foundation member of the institute in Nigeria, of their support.
He expressed optimism that this administration has marked itself as a media-friendly nation with the minister’s appointment.
Global standards necessary to control fake news, Idris says
Also, during a courtesy visit by the Country Representative of UNESCO, Mr. Abdurrahman Diallo, on Tuesday, the Minister called on media practitioners to take lead in sanitizing the media space to reduce the impact of fake news.
Idris noted that the media should self-regulate its space rather than the government, which might be misinterpreted as oppression. “With each fake news, online media loses credibility more.”
He commended UNESCO for being at the forefront of fighting misinformation and disinformation and its effort to develop global standards for regulating social media. He said this is important because countries can domesticate it and won’t be seen to be gagging the press.
The Minister also called for the promotion of community radio as part of the inclusive societies mandate of UNESCO. That will bridge the information gap as citizens will have avenues for expression and feedback.
On the newly approved Category 2 International Institute of Information and Media Literacy, he commended UNESCO and called for support in its establishment.
He commended UNESCO for approving a Nigeria office and called on them to continue to use Nigeria as an expert hub for the African region.
The Country Representative of UNESCO, Abdourrahmane Diallo, who congratulated Nigeria on its election into the Executive Board of UNESCO, described this as a milestone and a confirmation of Nigeria’s position among member states.
He promised to continue working with the ministry in media and information literacy, media independence, and media inclusion