Nigeria’s Minister of Information Emphasizes Media’s Role in Shaping Narratives and Driving Development
In a recent visit to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) headquarters in London, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, highlighted the crucial role of the media in shaping narratives, fostering understanding, and driving development. The minister’s visit is part of efforts to build bridges between Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation and foreign and local media houses.
During a meeting with the BBC’s top management, led by Jonathan Munro, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the BBC News and Director of the BBC World Service, Idris emphasized the importance of fostering understanding as a key element in driving development. He stressed that media houses with global reach must deepen their understanding of the socio-political, economic, and cultural characteristics of the societies they report on.
The minister also praised the BBC’s longstanding role as a narrator of Nigeria’s political journey, urging the organization to balance its reporting by highlighting the country’s progress and successes, as well as adopting content that inspires hope for a brighter future. He noted that Nigeria has a flourishing youth population with a strong desire to seize positive opportunities, despite facing immense challenges.
However, Idris also highlighted the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation, and fake news as a major challenge, which hinders progress and erodes trust between government and the people. He called on the BBC to strengthen its mechanisms for addressing these challenges, working in concert with foreign partners to combat these threats and ensure the media ecosystem remains credible and responsible.
The minister commended the BBC’s efforts to expand its operational reach in Nigeria, creating more language options in Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Pidgin, which has helped to cascade information and employ and train many more Nigerians.
The visit underscores the importance of cooperation between Nigeria’s government and the media in promoting development and understanding. As the world grapples with the challenges of misinformation and disinformation, Idris’s message serves as a reminder of the critical role that responsible media reporting can play in shaping narratives and driving positive change.
