By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to mitigate negative influence of the internet , the Abuja Film Village (AFV) has launched an awareness initiative, christened Films in Education Media Literacy Campaign, and training of secondary school students in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, on the steps to identifying fake and real news on social media.
The event was coordinated in partnership with the, ‘I Am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative’ (IFON), the Actors Guild of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Film Corporation.
Several speakers at the event emphasised the need for media action to sensitize the Nigerian populace on the scourge of fake news.
Speaking during the launch which held at Government Secondary School, Garki in Abuja, the convener and CEO of the AFV, Dr. Francisca Ibezim, stressed the need to inculcate and promote media literacy and films in education awareness training into the national curriculum to ensure access for every Nigerian child.
Ibezim lauded the federal government’s decisive actions against fake news, while soliciting sustained and determined action because of the plethora of information on the internet which can be used maliciously.
He explains: “Because 21st-century kids are growing up in a digital world and media change, they must be educated on the consequences the change is presenting. The internet and social media have given our youth access to lots of information both real and fake.
‘Teaching media literacy provides relevant skills to detect what information is fake, misleading, or real. This enables them to think critically about all the information they process”.
Also, Chief executive officer of ‘I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative’, Mrs. Noni Okocha , delivered a ‘Spot the Fake News’ training to 100 students of government secondary school which elicited positive reviews from all guests and participants in attendance.
Furthermore, during the event, students received training in film production and photography to enable them to develop an interest in media as a future career path.
