Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has pledged to strengthen collaboration with China to tackle fake news and misinformation, emphasising the need for accurate information to deepen democracy and societal development.
Idris stated this when he received the Chinese delegations led by Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai, in his office, in Abuja, Nigeria.
He explained that “information can be useful and also dangerous at the same time, in this current age, therefore it is important that all countries respect the right information that it gives out to people.”
The Minister said; “Nigeria, likewise, every country would want to have a mutually beneficial relationship with any country, and one of the ways that can be achieved is by sharing correct and accurate information. Misinformation, fake news, disinformation are a danger to the world, and we know that China takes that very seriously. We also in Nigeria take that very seriously. It’s not a phenomenon that is only peculiar to Nigeria or to China. It’s a global phenomenon, and we want to work with China to fight fake news, to fight misinformation, and to promote useful information that can help societies to grow and to also integrate with each other rather than divide us. So we want to also work with you to ensure that wide information is very critical for democracy to thrive. It is also important that whatever information we are giving out is accurate, patriotic and beneficial to everyone.”
According to him, Nigeria’s President believes that democracy can only thrive with proper information, hence Nigeria enjoys a high degree of press freedom.
Idris said; “Democracy cannot grow if people are not informed rightly about what happens around them. And as a great democrat himself, he has always ensured that the media, and indeed press freedom generally, is given its rightful place. Of course, we all know that freedom also comes with enormous responsibility, and all of us will have to respect that. You cannot take away just the freedom and drop responsibility. The two have to go together. And so we want to assure you that first, we will sign our MOUs, and two, we are ever committed to press freedom. We are ever committed to deepening of democracy through information sharing, and we’ll continue to do that, not just with the Republic of China, but the entire global community.”
“You have come to the right place, the Ministry of information and national orientation will help to put out whatever you want to let Nigerians know about what the relationship between China and Nigeria is all about and how you intend to keep it. We will do our part, we will continue to encourage you, and I want to also let you know that all the platforms under the Foreign Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and indeed the entire media platforms in this country are ever ready to put the cooperation between Nigeria on a mutually beneficial level. We will continue to engage with you to see how these two MOUs will be fully actualized for the benefit of both countries,”he said.
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai said that the relationship between Nigeria and China is built on mutual respect, mutual understanding and win-win cooperation.
He said; “Over the past half century, actually this year marks the 54th anniversary of our bilateral ties. Over the past half century, we have always stood together, we have always supported each other, particularly in times of difficulty, and we have always respected each other. We keep very close high-level communications, and our cooperation in various fields has brought a lot of tangible benefits for both of our nations. Our people-to-people exchanges have never been as close as we are enjoying today. So as the new Chinese ambassador, I will spare no efforts to promote these bilateral relations to a new height.”
Ambassador Dunhai said he looked forward to the realisation of the Memoranda of Understanding signed between Nigeria’s two foremost public broadcasters – the NTA and FRCN and the China Media Group, because the media plays an important role in shaping the society.
He expressed delight that the media in Nigeria are accurate, objective and balanced in their reporting as they strive to present the full picture of events to Nigerians.
“Certainly I understand the importance of press and media, because press and media are playing a very significant role in shaping the society, in enhancing the mutual understanding between our two countries, and in promoting the social and economic development,” Ambassador Dunhai said.
In the area of investment, he said President Xi Jinping had pledged $50 billion for investment in Africa within the next three years in keeping with the 10 Memoranda of Understanding signed at the last Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
The Chinese people were assured of Nigeria’s commitment to honouring all bilateral agreements with China including the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between China Media Group and the Nigerian Television of Authority, NTA and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
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