UNESCO MIL week: President Buhari charges stakeholders to protect freedom of speech

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, called on stakeholders to protect freedom of speech of the citizens in the fight against fake news.

He made the call during the high level opening session of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week at the banquet hall of the presidential villa, Abuja.

Speaking on the theme of this year, “Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative.” The President who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said the Media and Information Literacy(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.

“In confronting 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.”

” I congratulate UNESCO and all key stakeholders for their efforts in developing various initiatives and resources around the use of MIL to help in nurturing trust and countering mistrust. I also commend their efforts. in promoting the teaching and learning of MIL in formal and non formal institutions, as well as the establishment of the Global MIL institutes.” The president said.

Speaking further, he added that hosting of the 11th edition of the event is an indication of the growing symbiotic relationship between Nigeria and UNESCO in addressing the challenges facing our world. Which, according to him, will further amplify the commitment of the government and people to the continued implementation of the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution on Media and Information Literacy which calls on countries around the world to develop and implement policies, actions and strategies related to the promotion of media and information literacy.

“It is pertinent to note that Nigeria played a leading role in giving birth to the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, when the 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 to the Global MIL Week.

“The theme of this year’s Global MIL Week: “Nurturing Trust, a 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 waning in most societies of the World.

” Trust is a key ingredient of democracy and good governance. Without trust, our avowed pledge to deliver on our promises as leaders will be impeded by the lack of commitment from the governed.

The president also called on stakeholders, especially the youth to harness the opportunities of Social Media positively, rather than using it to misinform the general public.

“As it is evident in our societies, getting reliable information is a constant battle. Media practitioners and stakeholders within the sector face the clear and present danger of misinformation. 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 their peoples.

“Here in 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

“Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, having stated the above we fully recognize and are cognisant that Technology and social media offer us nearly limitless opportunities which must be harnessed especially by the youth to strengthen the foundations of our society and our common values.

“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.

“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 helping citizens to learn and imbibe the skills of MIL.

” In furtherance of this mission, we encouraged 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 stakeholders.

“These efforts have resulted in mainstreaming and domesticating the UNESCO MIL in the Curriculum of our Colleges of Education, by its inclusion in the General Studies Education component of the Nigeria Certificate in Education Minimum Standards curriculum, as a compulsory subject.

“In addition to this, information Science and Media studies, which is an adaptation of the MIL Curriculum, is now domiciled in our newly unbundled Mass Communication curriculum for all the Universities in Nigeria as recently unveiled by the National Universities Commission.”

In his welcome remarks earlier delivered, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed the theme of the event is aimed at equipping citizens with the ability to critically evaluate and wisely use information at their disposal.

“This is very important in a digital era of information overload, because it allows us all to differentiate what is true from what is false” Mr Lai said.