President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that the importance of the role of the media in the fight against coronavirus cannot be overemphasized.
He made the remark against the background of the World Press Freedom Day which comes up on Sunday.
In a message issued on Saturday, the president said the media had been effective in sensitizing the public and providing the required information to the public in the battle against COVID-19.
His words: “We cannot overemphasize the role of the media in keeping people informed and educated on the pernicious virus, which has no friend or foe. It simply seeks to mow down anyone and everyone in its path, and public awareness is very important, lest we become like sitting ducks. The media are doing this quite effectively.”
While applauding the role the Nigerian media have played thus far, he charged that they continue, “till we get to safe harbour, when the world, and our country are finally free of this greatest health challenge in recent history.”
Reflecting on the theme of World Press Freedom Day 2020, ‘Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation,’ President Buhari opined that Nigeria had a very unhealthy dose of disinformation, fake news, hate news, purveyed by people who use media platforms, particularly the digital variant.
According to him, “They don’t mean well for us, and no country can afford to close its eyes to the evil disinformation can cause. In a plural polity like ours, it has the potential to rupture relationships, sow seeds of discord, and set on the path of destabilisation. When fake and hate news are added unabashedly, it can only signpost doom. I urge the Press to use the occasion of World Press Freedom Day to see how this can be vigorously tackled.”
On the part of government, the president pledged a recommitment to the ideals of freedom of the press, noting that democracy thrived better in an atmosphere of transparency, as opposed to opacity.
“We appreciate the cooperation we have enjoyed from the media in tackling the Coronavirus, and look forward to same, post COVID-19, when all hands must be on deck to repair the damages done to our economic and social lives,” President Buhari affirmed.
