Stakeholders across Nigeria’s media industry have called for urgent action to strengthen community radio operations.
They emphasised the role of the media in delivering accurate and reliable information to citizens across diverse communities.
The call was made at a capacity-building workshop for community radio stations in Abuja, aimed at improving operational efficiency and equipping participants to address emerging challenges in information dissemination.
Declaring the event open, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the workshop sought to enhance the nation’s response to growing threats posed by misinformation, disinformation, and manipulated public narratives.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Ogbodo Chinasa, Idris explained that the timing of the workshop was crucial given the increasingly complex communication environment, marked by falsehoods, distorted facts, and shaken public trust.
According to him, community radio remained a trusted, people-centred platform, uniquely positioned within Nigeria’s media ecosystem, providing citizens, especially in rural areas, with direct access to vital information and engagement with governance processes.
“Community radio stations translate national priorities into local realities, amplify the voices of citizens, and foster social cohesion that binds our nation,” Idris said, urging stakeholders to elevate political information responsibly in communities.
He added that enhanced community radio strengthens democracy, citizenship, and civic participation, and encouraged participants to adopt gatekeeping strategies, improve their networks, and consistently promote professional, ethical, and responsible information dissemination practices nationwide.
UNESCO Head of Office in Nigeria, Jean-Paul Abiaga, represented by Nneka Okafor, stressed that media and information literacy were essential for safeguarding rights, promoting freedom of expression, and ensuring democratic participation through community radio.
Abiaga said community radio could empower women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups, bridging linguistic and cultural divides while advancing local development, peacebuilding, and inclusion at grassroots levels across Nigeria’s diverse regions.
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He reiterated that the United Nations would continue to support community radio initiatives, strengthening the capacities of media professionals, youth organisations, teachers, content creators, and policy experts to improve access to reliable, inclusive information nationwide.
In the same vein, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Director-General, Mr Charles Ebuebu, represented by NBC’s Coordinating Director, Dr Susan Obi, described the workshop as timely and strategic, aimed at improving community radio capacity, reinforcing responsibilities, and strengthening the foundations of local broadcasting.
Ebuebu emphasised that community radio was crucial in Nigeria’s broadcast landscape, facilitating information sharing, identity representation, empowerment of local voices, support for development initiatives, and social cooperation during national emergencies or public crises.
Stakeholders maintained that ensuring professional skills, adequate structures, and ethical orientation for community broadcasters was essential for enabling them to responsibly serve audiences, maintain credibility, and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s information ecosystem and democratic governance.
PIAK