By Isah Aliyu Chiroma
It is easy to be befuddled by not paying attention to details while reading. We sometimes become so blind because the power to understand and distinguish between the good, bad and the ugly. In the world of information, misinformation becomes a hug gap of ignorance between factual.
On the other hand, there is also a bridge from the government, where a lot of new policies need to be addressed. The government needs to design a communication strategies, to sensitize the citizens, to let them be aware of it new policies and initiatives. This will create more awareness among the people, to know the direction the government is heading.
The Samoa Agreement is a collaboration between members of the Organization of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union and its member states. Because it was signed on the Oceania island of Samoa, the multinational pact is also referred to as the “Samoa Agreement.” With Nigeria as a member of the OACPS.
The six main pillars upon which the agreement is built are; Human rights, democracy and governance, peace and security, human and social development, inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development, environmental sustainability and climate change, and migration. One major principle of the agreement is that the Parties shall make decisions and undertake actions at domestic, regional or multi-country level.
A true tool for Nigeria’s development collaboration with the EU and other countries is the Samoa Agreement. One of the international system’s most varied and complex development agreements is the OACPS-EU Partnership. The National Assembly, National Executive Council (NEC), and Federal Executive Council (FEC) must all ratify the accord after giving it careful thought.
Then comes the Daily Trust report, which has caused a lot of discussions across the country. Daily Trust as an institution with professional journalists, it appears to be a big slap. Those of us in the media sector know that, every story going out has two faces. It either destroys or repairs.
What is utmost is to work with factual, authentic narration, which is been fact checked, through various stages before been released. Through those processes, a common ground on truth stands. The Federal Government has maintained an open relationship with the media, promoting democracy and human rights. This gives room for the media to tell the facts and factual from the happenings. At the press conference by the minister of information, he made it clear that the government is restraining itself from taking self-help or draconian measures, and is lodging a formal complaint to the NPAN Ombudsman for irresponsible reporting. The government will use every lawful means to seek redress in the court of law. The government restates its friendly policy towards ethical media and free speech, but will not take fake news and disinformation lightly, as it would injure the peace of the country and its national security.
To the other media houses, they need to brush up and live up to expectations, where they will serve as a medium for truth and honesty. As media platforms become a source of information for the people, it is our duty, to ensure the authenticity of what we say, when we say and how to say it. To be on the safer side, citizens must dig deep beyond headlines, read through lines and comprehend what they see or hear before concluding.
