The Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has blamed the alleged misinformation
of Nigerians to the propensity by naysayers, reports ITRealms.
Mohammed who made this accusation in Lagos at the weekend, noted that the suspected naysayers, had deliberately spread false
information via the social media which negatively impacted on the
federal government's efforts to keep Nigerians informed of its activities.
''Everyday, this group of people deliberately distort our messages while
also suffusing the atmosphere with their own version of information,'' the
Minister said in a speech at a Colloquium organized by the National
Coalition of Apostolic Leaders in Lagos on Friday.
He said that in order to ensure that Nigerians get undiluted and correct
information, the government has resorted to taking its messages directly
to the people using the Town Hall Meeting format.
''What we have done is to counter them using what we call Town
Hall Meetings that allow us to speak with Nigerians directly, while
also getting the necessary feedback. We have held such Town Hall
Meetings here in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Uyo, Enugu and Abuja, during
which Ministers interacted directly with a cross section of
Nigerians.
Having realized its
effectiveness, we have lined up more Town Hall Meetings across the
country,'' Alhaji Mohammed said.
He also said that in order to carry Nigerians along, the
Federal Government has embarked on sensitization campaigns on what it is
doing in its three broad priority areas - Tacking corruption,
fighting insurgency and revamping the economy to create jobs and wealth.
''We are aware that it is not just enough to do something, you must
be seen to be doing it. In other words, the activities of government
are as important as communicating them. That is why this
Administration places much premium on communicating with the people.
''Mixing the traditional means of communication with the modern ones, we
are reaching out to the people through radio, television, newspapers and
the all-powerful Social Media to keep them abreast of developments in
these three broad areas,'' the Minister said.
He said the government is also aware that feedback is one of the essential
elements of good communication, adding: ''It is not enough for a
government to talk to the people, the government must also hear from
them.''
Alhaji Mohammed thanked the Nigeria Coalition of Apostolic Leaders
for organizing the State of the Nation Colloquium, but urged them
to sustain it.
''It is impressive, and indeed highly commendable, that rather than sit
back and complain endlessly, thus becoming a part of the problem, the
Nigeria Coalition of Apostolic Leaders has opted to be a part of the
solution. It is however important that this Colloquium be sustained,'' he
said.
Uboshe Uboshe/GEE
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