Minister urges media to join hands with Tinubu for prosperity, unity

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has called on the media to join hands with President Bola Tinubu for prosperity, unity and irreversible development in the country.

Idris made the call at the 7th Edition of Business Day Public Service Award of Excellence and Dinner on Wednesday night in Abuja.

According to Idris, the event is not just one that honours people; it is also a recognition of the relationship that should exist between the media and any administration of the day.

He said that over the last two years, his ministry focused on redefining Nigeria’s national communication architecture to promote transparency, professionalism, and citizen-centered governance.

“We have equally revitalised the national orientation framework, strengthened the government to citizen communication, and advanced reforms that promote media responsibility, ethical standards, and public accountability.

“One key milestone in this journey is the establishment of the UNESCO Category 2 Media and Information Literacy Institute here in Abuja.

“This happened only three weeks ago. Many countries, some from Africa, others from Europe, and from Asian countries, bided for the hosting rights of the first-of-its-kind Media and Information Literacy Centre.

“Nigeria got the hosting right for the Institute here in Abuja. This centre will also serve as a global hub for research, training, and capacity building in media literacy and responsible communication.

“I therefore call on all of you, members of the media, to join hands with Tinubu, so that we can all go in the direction of unity, cohesion and irreversible development,” Idris said.

He said that as the country looks ahead, the Ministry of Information remains very committed to building a more informed, united, and values-driven society.

He further noted that his ministry would continue to strengthen public communication channels and deepen the reforms necessary for a healthier, more transparent information space.

“I ask Nigerians at this very challenging time in our history to remain united, committed, purposeful and hopeful in this administration. This is not a time for fake news.

“Let me also say that the mischaracterisation of Nigeria as a country that is not tolerant when it comes to religion cannot be farther from the truth.

“Yes, we have security challenges. Yes, we have other forms of challenges in this country, which the present administration is working very hard to overcome.

“We should not allow this kind of characterisation to draw us back from the kind of reform that President Tinubu has instituted.

“But it should be noted that Nigeria is indeed a country that tolerates freedom of religion. In any case, this is fully contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Idris said.

According to him, at a time Nigeria is achieving milestones in every sector, this is not a time for all of us to be distracted or succumb to misinformation.

Our correspondent reports that Idris was honoured with the Public Service Award of Excellence.

Other awardees include Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of State for Petroleum, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu and others from MDAs.