The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has urged Nigerian journalists to remain consistent, professional and ethical, warning against allowing unqualified individuals to lead or define the profession and stressing that the survival of media organisations is intrinsically linked to the survival of the nation.
The Minister who was represented by the Director-General Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace made this known on Thursday at the Emporium Leadership Lecture and Awards 2026 held in Abuja.
The ceremony also featured the unveiling of the Special 10th Anniversary Commemorative Edition of Emporium Magazine, convened by Lukman Laleye Babalola.
Declaring the event open, the minister described the Convener’s career, Laleye Babalola’s as notable and defined not by what the profession has given him but by what he consistently contributes and this has earned him recognition and goodwill across the highest levels of government and public life.
On the relationship between the media and national interest, the Minister emphasised that supporting positive national narratives should not be mistaken for compromise.
He noted that even the world’s most advanced democracies operate with established ground rules for reporting sensitive national matters. He encouraged the media to critique government and institutions when necessary, but to do so with decorum and respect, and to acknowledge and report commendable government actions, including those of President Bola Tinubu, without hesitation.
The Minister also warned against permitting those without professional competence to lead the journalism profession, stressing that press credibility is a collective asset that must be fiercely protected. He reminded media organisations that their survival is tied to the country’s survival, and said that shaping positive national narratives is not a betrayal of journalistic independence but an expression of patriotic responsibility.
In his Keynote Address the Guest lecturer Abdullahi O. Haruna Haruspice stressed the role of the digital media.
According to him “ digital media can either deepen democracy or diminish it, with credibility being the determining factor” he said
He noted that while digital platforms have democratised access to information, empowering citizens from Zamfara to Bayelsa, from Maiduguri to Kogi to participate actively in national conversations, the same technology has equally democratised access to misinformation, warning that society now faces a dangerous reality where falsehood travels faster than truth and digital platforms reward virality over accuracy.
Haruspice further challenged media practitioners to move from noise to knowledge, from propaganda to professionalism, and from clicks to credibility, stressing that the future of Nigerian journalism belongs not to those who generate the most traffic but to those who earn the most trust.
He issued a national call to action, urging government to protect press freedom, media organisations to strengthen ethical standards, and journalists to recommit themselves to truth, noting that Nigeria’s democracy will ultimately be judged not by how much information it produces, but by how much truth it preserves.
The VON DG, Mallam Ndace received the Outstanding Leadership in Global Media Diplomacy and National Image Rebranding Award, a recognition that drew warm applause from the gathering.
The event drew a distinguished gathering to include the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Chief Tony Ojukwu, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, Director of Information, Niger State Ministry of Information and Orientation; and S.O. Allhasan
