The Nigerian Youth Parliament, Borno Caucus, has called for a stronger media and information literacy framework to equip youths and communities with skills to identify, assess and responsibly share information.
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‎The call was made at a Media Stakeholders’ Technical Alignment Meeting organised by the Parliament, in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Borno, on Monday in Maiduguri.
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‎Fatima Lamisula, who represents Borno North in parliament, presented the meeting framework and said the initiative aimed to develop the Borno State Media Action Plan (2027–2031).
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‎She said the breakout sessions would serve as the principal technical mechanism for translating stakeholders’ experiences, evidence and proposed solutions into practical components of the action plan.
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‎According to her, the sessions would identify problems, consequences and existing gaps, before developing solutions, priority actions, responsible actors, timelines and measurable indicators.
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‎Ms Lamisula said the proposed framework covered five thematic areas, including misinformation, disinformation and rumour management; peacebuilding, hate speech and extremist propaganda; and digital and media literacy for youths and communities.
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‎She also listed other areas, including responsible journalism, public information and strategic government communication, community participation, civic information, and sustainable media literacy systems.
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‎Ms Lamisula said representatives of the government, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organisations, academics and concerned citizens would contribute their perspectives to the process.
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‎She said stakeholders were expected to develop recommendations to guide the proposed Borno State Media Action Plan for implementation from 2027 to 2031.
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‎Abdulkareem Haruna, chairman of NUJ Borno Council, commended the Nigerian Youth Parliament for the initiative.
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‎Mr Haruna assured the organisers of the cooperation and support of the union and the council toward the success of the process.
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‎Similarly, Ali Yaumi, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) representative, expressed the association’s commitment to supporting the initiative.
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‎Mr Yaumi said the collaboration would contribute to the development of youths, the state and citizens.
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‎He said that strengthening media and information literacy could support informed citizen participation and community development.
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‎(NAN)
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