By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris, has urged media practitioners in the country to focus more on projecting alternatives to terrorism.
The Minister gave the charge while declaring open a 2-day workshop organised by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre ( NCTC) of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in conjunction with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) for defence correspondents at the ONSA complex in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said, “Terrorism is not merely a physical threat; it is an ideological battle of the mind with the extremist groups exploiting vulnerabilities, spreading fear, and propagating messages that present them as fighting for a social cause, in order to further their depraved agenda,” adding that to counter it, compelling, positive alternatives that resonate with the same audiences targeted by terrorists must be offered.
Acknowledging that the media plays a pivotal role, the Minister said, “To achieve this, the media should continue to project successful initiatives and programmes of NCTC and ONSA that counter radicalization as well as the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant terrorists into the community.
He told the journalists to work closely with security experts, sociologists, psychologists, and community leaders to provide a multi-faceted perspective on terrorism and its alternatives.
The Minister who cautioned that sensationalisation, misinformation, and fake news could be as damaging as terrorist acts, urged journalists to use data and research to back their stories to enhance credibility and depth, stressing that sensational reporting could inadvertently glorify terrorist acts and spread fear, citing instances where some media houses use pictures of terrorists on cover with captions such as “Terrorists Overrun Nigerian Troops”.
He urged the media to also respect the dignity of victims and affected communities and void language that could be construed as biased or inflammatory.
While appreciating the work of the press, he reiterated the commitment of President Tinubu’s administration to free and responsible journalism and pledged continued support through access to accurate information, regular media briefings, and training opportunities.
In his address, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, noted that the media is also expected to support government’s efforts towards national security and help dissipate ignorance that makes some persons susceptible to terrorist appeals and violent extremism narrative.
According to him, “media contents could change people’s perception and attitude, galvanise solidarity, mutual trust, patriotism and national cohesion”, hence media practitioners need to always upgrade to meet the expectation as valuable contributors to the process of developing a sustainable security culture”.
He expressed the commitment of his office to, in line with its mandate, continue to support the NCTC to collaborate with the media by prompting capacity building of practitioners at the national and state levels as part of the objectives of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy 2016, and the National Security Strategy 2019.
Earlier in his remarks, the national coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, urged journalists to use their media outfits to build good image for the country.
He said this would attract more Foreign Direct Investments that would improve the lives of Nigerians and better position the country in the comity of nations.
Gen. Laka said the workshop in collaboration with the National Peace Academy, and Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), was part of NCTC mandates in countering terrorist and violent extremist narratives.
In her address, the director, National Peace Academy (NPA), Dr Bosede Awodola, of the IPCR, said given the pivotal role of the media, holding the workshop for newsmen working with the NCTC to enable an improvement in their reportage of events, especially as it relates to terrorism ideology, violent extremism, and the pervasive associated criminality heightening the fear and insecurity in the country, has become imperative in view of the threats they pose to Nigeria’s democracy and peace.
