To combat fake news and misinformation, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged all nations, multilateral organizations, and donor organizations, to support global funding for Media and Information Literacy.
When the President opened UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week on Monday in Abuja with the theme “Nurturing Trust:a necessity for media and information literacy.”
Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the President’s Chief of Staff, stated that he was aware that the Abuja Declaration would be one of the conference’s major outcomes.
He claims that the Abuja Declaration will focus on global funding for media literacy and information literacy as a necessary means of combating misinformation and fostering social trust.
As a result, he reiterated that the global funding of MIL is a legitimate strategy that ought to receive support from all nations, organizations, and individuals of good will.
“A key component of democracy and good governance is trust.The lack of commitment from the governed will impede our declared commitment to keep our promises as leaders.
“As is evident in our societies, obtaining accurate information is a constant struggle due to the obvious and present threat of misinformation that media professionals and stakeholders in the sector face.
According to him, “misinformation has been used to exacerbate conflicts and crises, exacerbate insecurity, distort efforts of the government, fuel apprehension among citizens, and create distrust between the governments and their peoples.”
The President added that media literacy education must be funded due to the widespread use of social media and its ability to influence public opinion.
“We are fully aware that technology and social media provide us with nearly limitless opportunities that must be utilized, particularly by young people, in order to strengthen the foundations of our society and our shared values.
“However, in the face of the challenges posed by the growing use of hate speech and misinformation, we must also work together to protect freedom of speech while upholding other values that we hold dear.
He stated, “We must continue to work for a common standard that balances rights with responsibilities to help strengthen and enrich our communities and protect the most vulnerable.”