The Supervising Minister of Information, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad has pledged
to vigorously pursue the actualization of the core mandate of the Federal
Ministry of Information in line with the Transformation Agenda of
President Goodluck Jonathan. He made the remark at the Radio House, Abuja
during his maiden meeting with the management staff of the ministry.
The Supervising Minister, who is equally the Minister of State
II for Foreign Affairs, said he would bring his experience in
the Foreign Service to bear on managing the image and reputation
of Nigeria to the rest of the world.
He called for the support of the media to promote harmony among
Nigerians in addition to encouraging healthy debates and
exchange of information between the government and the citizens.
Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad observed the deliberate efforts by some
people to spread falsehood ahead of the 2015 general elections
and enjoined the media to always uphold the tenets of truth,
fairness and balance in their reportage.
He said President Goodluck Jonathan was motivated to sign into
law the Freedom of Information Act in order to promote access to
factual information as well as encourage transparency and
accountability in governance.
“I want to assure this top management of the Federal Ministry of
Information that Mr. President is fully committed to the
Transformation Agenda and part of it and cardinal in fact to the
Transformation Agenda will involve the prompt dissemination of
correct information and encouraging healthy exchange of
information between the citizens and the government and between
Nigeria and other countries.
“As citizens of this country, as stakeholders in the information
service delivery in this country, we owe ourselves a
responsibility to make sure that our discussions and debates are
based on facts and are elevated from pettiness and
personalities,” he stated.
Dr. Nurudeen Muhammad said as a leading country in the world,
Nigeria has remained a role model for many nations, hence the
need for citizens to always discuss the country in the positive
light instead of running down the nation for political reasons.
He promised to continue from where his predecessor, Mr. Labaran
Maku stopped and introduce new ideas and innovations to surmount
the challenges confronting the Federal Ministry of Information.
Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of
Information, Dr. Yemi Folashade Esan gave a rundown of the
functions of the ministry and mentioned lack of funds as a big
constraint to the actualization of the mandate of the ministry.