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Federal Government has urged Journalists in the country to make use of the power of their pen both in Prints and electronic Media in the country to fight the proliferation of fake news in Nigeria.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Zubairu Dada stated this as at the weekend during the 2022 Press Week award ceremony and launching of calendar and magazine by Niger state Council of NUJ held at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre in Minna the state capital.
Ambassador Zubairu Dada who was the Chairman of the occasion charged media practitionals not only in Niger State but across the country that as members of a noble profession saddled with responsibility of setting agenda for the country that they must be prepared to discharge their duties deligently in fishing out bad eggs in their midst or elsewhwho were bent on spreading fake news for shellfish and unpatriotic reasons .
To achieve this Ambassador Dada emphasized that collective efforts by Nigerians was required to succeed and commended executives of NUJ Niger state Council for their commitment and foresight in piloting the affairs of the Union in the state.
The State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello explained that fake news had led to the relocation of many communities to other locations thereby leading to loss of lives and properties which he pointed out must be squarely addressed.
Represented by Secretary to the State Government,Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane the Governor noted that Niger state government in collaboration with Federal Government were doing everything humanly possible and within the ambit of the Law to ensure and guarantee protection of lives and properties of the citizenry in parts of the country within the shortest possible period.
Also in his own remarks, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy Dr. Emmanuel Umar Musa lamented that Federal Government presence on the issue of insecurity in the state and it’s environs has been very minimal and advocated the need for all hands to be on deck to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country.
National President of NUJ, Comrade Chris Asiguzo who hilighted that fake news has led to communal, political, and religious crisis, said “as Journalists we must fact checked every informantiion that comes to us professionally to achieve maximum results.
Similarly, in his remarks Chairman Niger state Council of NUJ Comrade Abu Nmodu said Journalists as the hope of the common man was left actually to bring back democracy as well as promotion of democratic values and practice stressing that “we cannot allow fake news to overshadow our patriotic role especially now that we are being saddled with daunting security challenges in parts of the country that has put us and other Nigerians on the brinks of a catastrophic.challenge capable of affecting the disintegration of the country as a corporate entity .
Emir of Agaie Alhaji Yusuf Nuhu described the theme: “Fact Check to End Fake News; Tasks before Niger state Journalists as apt and timely and called for collective efforts to materialised.
Guest Speaker, and Head of Department Mass Communication Ibrahim Badamasi Bbabangida University( IBBU)Lapai Ternenge Ende pointed out that in order to address this problem, investigative journalism, persistent fact checking, and truthfulness were required by journalists and patriotic Nigerians to achieve greater heights.
