The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris has called on Nigerians to imbibe value reorientation and patriotism to enhance unity and positive progress for the country.
Idris made the call when he visited Voice of Nigeria’s (VON) Headquarters on a working visit on Wednesday in Abuja.
“I have always said that honest and credible information is the bedrock of any united and peaceful society,” the Minister said.
Idris said it was not for nothing that President Bola Tinubu renamed the Ministry to Information and National Orientation. The National Orientation has given the ministry a new mandate.
“With that, the ministry has a new mandate which is to tell Nigerians that we need to now recover and dedicate ourselves to a nation that we all desire.
“You will agree with me that value orientation and patriotism among Nigerians is at its lowest.
“The President is passionate about rebranding Nigeria and the rebranding needs value reorientation. So the mandate is to ensure there is value reorientation.
“National Orientation is at the heart of the Ministry and we need to start with the platforms under the Ministry. I also think our diversity should be used positively for progress and development.”
He noted that the complex and diverse nature of Nigeria requires transparent dissemination of information that would build trust, progress, and development.
“Over the years, trust and confidence have gradually gone away, especially for leaders and those in government. We have reached some point where Nigerians no longer believe what their leaders tell them and so the starting point for me is to restore that confidence, especially in terms of government communication. And that can only be achieved once you’re truthful, honest, but also patriotic about the cause of Nigeria,” he said.
During the visit, aimed at strengthening the relationship between the Ministry and the media house, the Minister also interacted with members of staff and management and expressed his appreciation for their hard work and dedication to their craft.
The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu received the Minister and thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making the right choice in the appointment of the Minister as head of Nigeria’s Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
“For us, he is a square peg in a square hole,” the DG said, noting the Voice of Nigeria Act already ties into the mandate of the Minister in the promotion of transparency and accountability in government communication.
Okechukwu said that in the age of social media, most of our feedback is based on cross-checks. When they read all the trash about Nigeria, they will refer to us to know exactly what is going on in the country. And most of the time, they will be surprised that good things are going on in the country. That’s our mission – to promote and project Nigeria and Africa in general.
The Director-General said VON was working to modernise its platform as part of the mandate to deliver believable truths to Nigerians and the world.
Okechukwu said Voice of Nigeria is betting on visual radio to reach more of its global audiences to complement the reach of the age-long traditional shortwave radio platform.
He said; “We will soon meet you, Minister, with the details because we are still trying to find the best we can buy in the market.”
“We took off 62 years ago as an external radio of NBC, but have transformed into different nomenclature. We have 17 offices in 17 states, but we have been challenged with funding requirements needed to boost operations, including aging transmitters that require attention in Lagos and Abuja,” Okechuwku said, stressing that VON would require the support of the Minister in sourcing energy efficient transmitters to boost its service.
The Minister promised to look into the demands, saying more focus would also need to be channeled to effective management of allocated, accountability, and attitudinal change.
He said; “Modernisation is there, funding is there, but attitude is also there.
“As we strive to get more funding, as we strive to improve technological assets, the attitude also has to change. It is only in doing so that we will have a better country through the contributions that your platforms will bring.”
Mercy Chukwudiebere
