Nigeria’s Information Minister Meets Staff, Pledges To Pursue Core Mandate

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.
Dr Muhammad , 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.
The supervising minister 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.