According to various media reports, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister for Information and Culture, has assured the Nigerian populace that the Federal Government will not be regulating online publications.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports that the minister made this known when he met with nline publishers in Lagos, as part of his ongoing consultation with key stakeholders in the information and Culture sector.
The Minister however told online publishers to maintain their credibility. ”If the online publications suffer credibility problems, they stand the risk of losing the confidence of their readers and the advertisers who provide the lifeblood for the publications’ survival,” Mohammed said.
Muhammed also said it was in the interest of the government that online publications grow, saying, “Because the more the number of such online publications, the easier it becomes to bridge the information gap between the government and the governed, and the easier it becomes for the government to carry the citizens along in the formulation and implementation of policies that touch on their lives.”
He also promised that the federal government would also patronize online publications as regards adverts, saying, ”All we ask for, in return, is that you provide accurate information to the people, and avoid sensationalism and partisanship.”
”The National Security Awareness Campaign, aimed at rallying the support of Nigerians for the war on terror, is ongoing. Also, the National Sensitization Campaign against Corruption was formally launched in Abuja on Monday, and it is aimed at rallying Nigerians against the cankerworm of corruption which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. We are also preparing to launch a National Re-orientation Campaign, which is tagged ‘CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME’, to achieve a paradigm shift in the way we do things,” Mohammed said, soliciting the support of online media in the Federal Government’s fight against terrorism.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed was appointed Minister for Information and Culture by President Muhammadu Buhari in November, 2015.
