By Ayodele Abere
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said that government has concluded arrangements to bring back trust and credibility in its communication and information to the people of the country.
The Minister stated this while speaking at the 7th Annual Conference of The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Abuja.
The conference with the theme “Nigeria: Roadmap for Socio-Economic Recovery and Sustainability” was organised by GOCOP under the leadership of its President, Maureen Chigbo.
Idris said GOCOP was the first organisation that visited him when he was appointed as the Minister of Information and National Orientation.
He described as regrettable, situations where some Nigerians seems not to trust and believe in the leaders they elected into power, especially when the leaders make statements.
“We, under the administration of President Bola Tinubu will make sure that we return credibility to the business of government communication in this country.
“Even, if that is the only thing that you achieve, you would have done something great, but to do that, it is not only the responsibility of those in position of leadership.
“It is for those, who are reporting government businesses, and as well, that is where the relevance of GOCOP is.
“And you have the responsibility to report only the truth and also help government officials to always tell the truth,”the Minister said.
He explained that over the years, there has been gradual erosion of trust and confidence in leaders that people themselves have elected.
He said there was need for the people to trust those they elected into office, adding, “that is the only way they can hold those in power accountable when they go overboard.
“Again, GOCOP has a great responsibility to make sure that the menace of fake news is being eliminated. This can be done through your peer review mechanism.
“Once something is reported from a credible medium or platform, there is that high tendency that it will be acceptable.
“If you say, you want foreign investment and growth of;Nigeria, then you must be prepare to project the country to achieve all these. Nobody will do it for us.
“We all have a collective responsibility to ensure we return credibility to our country. So, many good things are happening in Nigeria today,
“Let the cup be half full all the time, not half empty, please.”
The conference was attended by officials of the Nigerian Air Force, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, and other relevant stakeholders that preached on effective partnership, reportage and communication to move the country forward.