There will be no room for lies, new information minister assures Nigerians

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, has promised Nigerians that there will be no room for lies and fake news as the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given him a matching order to speak the truth, which is now a new covenant between the government and the people of Nigeria.

Malagi assured Nigerians that the new administration will run an open door and transparent policy and ensure that the ministry effectively do its core job of info dissemination.

Speaking during an official reception organized by the ministry yesterday in Abuja, the minister said that the ministry would be repositioned like never before, adding that his leadership will ensure that the Renewed Hope of Mr. President gets serious traction.

He said, “For me, I am actually a reporter reporting for duty and I meant it with every sense of the word. The President has asked me to come and tell you that this is a brand new Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

“This is a ministry that is set to be repositioned like never before. I have been in the industry for nearly three decades and I should know where the shoe pinches.

“Today is not for policy announcement but a day to familiarize ourselves with all the stakeholders in the Ministry. We are poised to ensure that the Renewed Hope of Mr. President gets serious traction. Mr. President has sent me to come and say it the way it is. He didn’t send me to come and lie, and this is the new covenant with you and Nigerians”, Malagi stated.

Adding: “We are going to say it as it is, Mr. President is somebody who is truthful, honest, transparent. He has said that when we come, we should own up where there are mistakes, we should own up where we erred, we should not be shy to say, “No this is wrong and we are going to correct it.” The ministry will be at the core of its job, the job of information dissemination.’’

Malagi urged members of the media to open their minds and hearts as the ministry is going to roll out its plans for media in the next few days.

In her remarks, the new Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barr. Musa Hanatu Musawa, promised to use her ministry to export Nigeria to the world.

She said: “Whatever we will do, we are going to do it together to achieve greatness. Nigeria stands on the precipice of greatness.

As an artist and song writer, I understand the passion that is required to move the ministry forward. We are going to do a number of things to change the trajectory. We are going to export Nigeria to outside world and make Nigeria the greatest nation on earth in a way that will change the narrative.

Our culture is our identity we are going to sell to the world. The unity our forefathers bequeathed would be resuscitated. We are going to roll out action plan that will not just satisfy all stakeholders, but actualize our mandate for President Tinubu. Our guiding principles will be innovation, preservation, empowerment, corporation and collaboration.’’

Also speaking, the Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, promised to make tourism number one revenue generation in Nigeria. She noted that tourism is about marketing and selling.

“We are going to engage everybody to sell the country, particularly the ministry of information. We need to collaborate with our sister ministries to achieve our mandate. Revenue from oil industry has dropped, there is a major emphasis on revenue generation. Tourism is going to be number one revenue generation in Nigeria both in naira and foreign exchange as the country’s major economic enabler.

“We can no longer continue to depend on oil and gas but explore the potentials in tourism to bolster our revenue generation base of the nation”, she added.

Earlier, the permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mrs. Ngozi Onwudiwe, assured the three ministers of her cooperation.

“We are behind you solidly to realize whatever mandate the President has set for you. We will work with you to achieve your mandate. This ministry had gone through series of merger and splitting. Your jobs are enormous but we will be there for you to actualize your mandate.