Fake news crisis: FG urges media literacy to fight misinformation in Nigeria
The Federal Government has called on Nigerians—especially public office holders—to embrace media and information literacy (MIL) as a vital tool in combating the rising tide of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation across the country.
Speaking at the second Spokespersons Summit organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stressed the urgent need for citizens to become better equipped to analyze and evaluate media content in today’s fast-paced digital world.
“Lately, due in effect to the lack of media literacy, the inability to analyse and contextualize media content in order to verify authenticity, public officers, and indeed the general public, have become prone to the cankerworm of fake news, misinformation and disinformation,” Idris said.
He noted that a significant portion of Nigerians are being swayed by false and biased narratives due to limited access to or understanding of credible information.
To address this, Idris announced that plans are already at an advanced stage to launch the UNESCO Media Information Literacy (MIL) Institute in Nigeria. The institute will be located within the premises of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.
“In fact, I have just returned from Paris, France where I held a meeting with senior UNESCO officials, in which the impending take-off of the Institute featured prominently,” he disclosed.
The minister also highlighted the government’s commitment to strengthening public communication structures by formalizing Public Relations as a standalone professional cadre within the Federal Civil Service.
“What this means is that Public Relations has now been designated as a standalone cadre in the Federal Civil Service, with effect from December 2023,” Idris said.
The event, hosted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, drew a host of notable figures including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, former Information Minister Lai Mohammed, and several serving lawmakers.
With misinformation continuing to challenge public trust and governance, the Federal Government’s call for nationwide media literacy marks a major step toward fostering informed citizenry and restoring credibility in public discourse.
