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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhamamdu Buhari has noted that misinformation has been used to aggravate conflicts and crises, exacerbate insecurity, distort government efforts, fuel apprehension among the citizens and create distrust between the governments and the people.
He made the observation He made the declaration in Abuja on Monday, at the official opening of the 11th session of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, the President who described misinformation as a clear danger for both media practitioners and stakeholders, noted that getting reliable information is now a constant battle.
Buhari admitted that social media offer the populace nearly limitless opportunities which must be harnessed especially by the youth to strengthen the foundations of the society and common values.
He added that in confronting the challenges of rising misinformation and hate speech “we must also come together to defend freedom of speech, whilst upholding other values that we cherish. We must continue to work for a common standard that balances rights with responsibilities to keep the most vulnerable from harm and help strengthen and enrich our communities and most importantly strengthen trust and social cohesion by improving critical thinking competencies to adequately assess the quality of information received and shared which I believe is a key component of the MIL programme this week.
“The MIL has over the years proven to be a veritable tool in building the capacities of individuals and communities to learn, decipher, educate and effectively use data and information for the common good.”
President Buhari, while underscoring the importance of the use of social media which also underscores its potential to mould, shape and form opinions, noted that “59% of the World population uses social media which represents 3 out of every 5 people on earth;
“Average daily use is estimated to be about 2 hours 29 minutes which is approximately 149 minutes or 31 minutes shy of the equivalent of sitting and watching 2 consecutive football games of 90 minutes each;
“Over 70% of the people who use social media are 13 years and older;
“Of the top 4 social media platforms 3 are interactive sites Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram.
He added that Nigeria with a population of about 220 million people, 37% is under 34 years and the country has about 100 million internet users, of which about 32 million are social media users.
Buhari said Nigeria’s hosting the Global Media and Information Literacy Week depicts the country’s commitment to the promotion of media and information literacy.
He further stated that the hosting of the event buttresses the mutual relationship existing between Nigeria and UNESCO.
“The hosting of this event is an indication of the growing symbiotic relationship between Nigeria and UNESCO in addressing one of the challenges facing our world.
“It also further amplifies our commitment as a Government and people to the continued implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on media and information literacy, which calls on all countries around the world to develop and implement policies, actions and strategies related to the promotion of media and information literacy,” he said.
He highlighted the role Nigeria played in the introduction of the global media and information literacy week nine years ago.
“It is pertinent to note that Nigeria played a leading role in giving birth to the global media and information literacy week when our country, in 2013, hosted the first global forum for partnership on MIL, tagged “Promoting media and information literacy as a means to cultural diversity” culminating in the UNESCO MIL alliance and ultimately, the global MIL week,” he added.
The President also noted that this year’s theme of the global event underscores the place of trust in sustaining democracy.
He said: “The theme of this year’s Global MIL “Nurturing Trust in Media and Information Literacy Imperative focuses on the use of MIL to address a fundamental element of human and national development which seems to be winning in most societies throughout the world.
“Trust is a key ingredient of democracy and good governance. Without first, our vowed pledge to deliver on our promises as leaders will be impeded by the lack of commitment from the government. As it is evident in our societies, getting reliable information is a constant battle.”
The Nigerian leader pledged that government will continue to promote and execute policies that will promote media information literacy to promote peaceful existence.
“On our part as a government, we will continue to support policies and plans aimed at advocating the use of MIL to create a peaceful and cohesive society where trust and respect for each other become a norm rather than an exception.
“Already, our collaboration with UNESCO and other partners has stimulated the development and promotion of MIL policies at all levels of government as well as strategies aimed at his desire to learn and imbibe the skills of MIL. In furtherance of this mission, we encourage the establishment of the MIL coalition of Nigeria MILCON in 2017, a coalition established to facilitate coordination of interventions on MIL in Nigeria and promote synergy among the stakeholders,” he said.
