Esther Salifu
The Minister of Defence, H.E. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has reaffirmed his commitment to combating fake news and disinformation in Nigeria by partnering with the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN).
This pledge came during the recent DICAN International Conference and Award Ceremony, where the Minister was honoured with the Award of Excellence on Strategic Security Policy Formulation for National and Global Peace.
The conference which was themed Nigeria’s 4Ds Foreign Policy Strategy Amidst Global Security Challenges, Strategic Misperceptions, and the Age of Disinformation,the conference underscored the critical role of diplomacy, intelligence, and media in countering global instability.
The Minister of Defence acknowledged that disinformation is a growing threat to Nigeria’s national image and commended DICAN’s efforts to correct false narratives. He framed the fight against fake news as a patriotic responsibility for all Nigerians.
In his words he stated that “A lot of fake news is out there distorting the image of our country, and you (DICAN) are bent on correcting it that is very good.”
“As Nigerians, we have no other country but Nigeria, and we have to really correct the bad image that has been pushed out there by people who are not patriotic.”
The international conference organized by DICAN was described as a strategic platform for aligning diplomacy, media, and intelligence in promoting national interests.
The Minister viewed such collaboration as timely and essential in addressing global and local security challenges.
The minister in his words said “The international conference was a timely response to the growing need for informed, cross-sectoral collaboration in safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty and global interests.”
The minister further noted that DICAN has positioned itself as a global leader among journalist associations by being the first to host an international diplomatic and security conference.
The association is focused on training journalists to detect and report accurately on foreign information manipulation, which threatens democracy.
“DICAN is bent on making a difference by enhancing the capacity of its members to be able to identify Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) for the sake of accurate and well-informed reporting.”
“DICAN was the first journalists’ beat association globally to put together a Diplomatic/Security International Conference.” He stated
DICAN Chairman, Mr. Idehai Frederick, reiterated the association’s mission to empower journalists with tools to detect and counter disinformation.
“We need support to actualize our vision of equipping members with the knowledge and skills to tackle the cancerous monster of disinformation,”he said.
He called on the government, diplomatic community, and civil society to invest in media literacy and capacity building for reporters.
Other high-profile awardees included former President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd).
