Minister tasks media, PR practitioners to counter fake news news

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna.

The Minister for Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has urged the media and Public Relations practitioners to ensure that they disseminate pieces of information that are true and credible.
He asserted in his remark at a reception organised in his honour by the Kaduna State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR,) in Kaduna, yesterday.
Alhaji Idris who was formerly the Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of the Institute, cautioned media and public relations practitioners on fake news.
According to him, “It is not necessary for a public communicator to lie before he’s being believed by his people,” adding that his ministry is not for propaganda, rather it is repositioning public communication.
He also noted how the menace of fake news has led to the loss of trust between the government and its citizens.
Alhaji Idris therefore called on all media and public relations practitioners to do their best to ensure that the lost trust is restored by debunking and resisting all elements of fake news so that the country can progress.
“We are not in for propaganda, we are repositioning this place called public communications.
“It is not necessary for a public communicator to lie before he’s being believed by his people.
“Over the years, we have seen how Nigerians have lost for many of their leaders simply because they feel that the information that is flowing from them to those whom they are governing is not correct and that is what we are striving to check and I charge you, members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations to please help government to restore in the art of Public Communications that we belong to.”
“We need to believe in elected leaders or Public Communicators when they say something to Nigerians but how will they believe you? They believe you because they know that what you are telling them about the government is the truth and. nothing but the truth.”
“As Minister of Information and National Orientation, I have made this solemn pledge that we are not going to lie to Nigerians.”
“As the government is insisting that information must freely flow from the government to its citizens, it also requires that these citizens take it very responsibly.”
“You cannot give out fake information and think that you are taking ownership of freedom of expression. This freedom also comes with enormous responsibility, you cannot propagate fake news and think that you are doing free speech, what is free about lies that you are talking about?”
“We know what this menace called fake news can do to our people. It is not a Nigerian problem, it is a world problem. Most advanced democracies are also suffering from the menace of fake news.”
“We have a duty, especially those in the Nigerian media, we all must counter fake news because they are the first victims of this fake news.”