Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said on Wednesday that the Federal Government was set to mobilise all elements of national power in support of countering terrorism and corruption as well as lifting Nigerians out of poverty.
Mohammed said this at a one day workshop on Conflict Sensitive Communications and Reporting for the Media and Security Spokespersons in Abuja.
“We are set to mobilise all elements of our national power in support of countering terrorism and corruption and lifting Nigerians out of poverty.
“Through communication processes and infrastructure, we will synchronise government efforts in support of better coordination and access to information by the media.
“We will support online communication in deepening democracy and building the capacity of Nigerians to participate in the decision making process.”
Mohammed said that the Federal Government would empower Nigerians with the information they need about government policies and actions, to enable them to make wise decisions and to take advantage of opportunities.
“Our country is facing numerous challenges at this time including terrorism, widespread corruption, poverty and economic challenges.
“But the good news is that Nigerians across faiths, tribes, age groups and income levels have made a choice to break from the past and embrace a future free from insecurity, corruption and poverty.
“With this choice, difficult but necessary paths to opportunities have opened up, promising to defeat terrorism, free public funds from the web of corruption and put our people back to economic prosperity.
According to him, everyone has a role to play in order to achieve these goals.
“Across the globe, Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari,continues to enjoy the goodwill and support of big nations and organisations, all of which want to see us free from the scourge of terrorism and corruption.’’
The minister said that the Federal Government recognised the opportunity and seized it promptly.
“As spokespersons of various agencies, defence correspondents and media stakeholders, Nigeria relies on you to understand this changing pattern of our fortune, and report it in a conflict-sensitive manner.’’
Mohammed said he would welcome any actionable recommendation on the role the ministry can play in deepening the lessons of the workshop.
He said the workshop was imperative to bridge communication gap, build trust and learn from each other’s challenges.
The National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd), reiterated the commitment of his office in continuing to partner with all relevant stakeholders to bring about better management of conflicts in Nigeria.
Monguno, who was represented by Col. Folusho Oyinlola, expressed the belief that communicating and reporting conflict in a sensitive manner was critical to peace and conflict resolution.
According to him, governance relies on communication to connect with the citizenry in a credible and efficient manner.
He said that with the increasing role of the social media, both government and the media must work closely to manage the change in ways that ensure national security and progress.
The office of the NSA had partnered the UK Department for International Development to train 100 participants each from the media and security services.
