By Emmanuel Oloniruha
Information and national orientation minister Mohammed Idris says Nigerians require more re-orientation to achieve the dream country they all desire.
Mohammed stated this when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), who paid him a courtesy visit on Wednesday in Abuja.
The minister said that President Bola Tinubu was passionate about the re-orientation of Nigerians toward building a new country.
“We need to disseminate truthful information to achieve our renewed hope agenda; we need such truth to unite and develop the country.
“Like I said, we will try as much as possible to be truthful to Nigerians; we shall try to be transparent in our dealings and be accountable. That is the message I got from Mr president when he sent me here.
“I will repeat, again, that this ministry will be a renewed ministry; it will be a very transparent ministry that manages the affairs of the information and national orientation of this country.
“I have also received a brief from Mr President that we should put national reorientation at the core of our affairs.
“It is not just about disseminating information; all of you will agree with me that Nigeria requires so much of re-orientation to reset our nation so that together we will all build a country that we desire,” he said.
Idris called on the institute’s members and Nigerians in general to join him in building a new image for the country.
“Mr President has said it severally since he assumed office that Nigeria is our country and there is no north, there is no south. All we have is one Nigeria.
“All of us, those in this industry, and those in other sectors, have to join hands for the benefit of our people.
“Mr President is very passionate about building a new Nigeria. And I want to ask you, the president and members of this institute, to please take the lead toward ensuring that national re-orientation that President Tinubu seeks to achieve. We want NIPR to lead the quest.
“We all know that NIPR has played a pivotal role over the years in projecting a positive image for our country.
“We need to deepen the efforts together with other members of the sector,” he said.
He called on Nigerians to join Tinubu in building a united and prosperous Nigeria.
“This is our country; all of us have to come together and be transparent to ourselves. We must be honest with ourselves and ensure that whatever is wrong with us is corrected.
“This is the mandate that I have from Mr President and this is our request from all of you and Nigerians generally. We must come together so that peace, unity, progress and development that we all desire can be achieved.
He promised to look into the request by the institute to create formal cadres for members of the institute working in both public and organised private sectors.
He also promised to look into the report of the 2022 summit of the institute titled “rebooting Nigeria 2.0,” which was presented to him.
“We shall strive to see how it can assist in achieving Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda,” he said.
The NIPR National President, Malam Mukhtar Sirajo had, in his remarks, said that the visit was to congratulate the minister on his appointment especially since he was a member of the institute.
“The visit is also to assure you of our support toward achieving your goals in office,” he added.
Sirajo thanked President Tinubu for appointing the right person and a professional to head the ministry.
He expressed confidence that Idris would bring his experiences and skills to bear in the new task so that the Tinubu regime could win the trust of Nigerians.
“It is a difficult task, but you can do it,” he said.
He urged the minister to create communication channels between the government and the people.
“We believe you’re going to deploy your decency for which you are legendary, your honesty, your skills as a public relations practitioner of note, to change the narrative.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sirajo later presented the institute’s report on its 2023 submit to the minister and invited him to the institute’s 2023 Annual General Meeting scheduled for Thursday in Abuja. (NAN)
