FG warns citizens against making negative remarks about Nigeria
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alh. Mohammed Idris, has warned Nigerians against making negative remarks about the country.
He issued this caution yesterday in Abuja during the official unveiling of the Nigeria Reputation Management Group (NMRG) at an event organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
Idris stated that a strong national brand would attract talent, tourists, and investors, further strengthening the country and enhancing its appeal.
He cautioned that a weak national brand could hinder opportunities for securing foreign direct investment, particularly if Nigerians continued to express negative sentiments about the country.
He said, “This brings me to the way Nigerians talk about their country. We are the ones striving for foreign direct investments to come into our land.
“On the other hand, we are very quick to say all those things that will drive away investors and those who want to identify with us.
“We must find a way to strike a true balance, especially for the media to report accurately, objectively, and with a sense of patriotism towards their country. I have always said that you can’t promote your country negatively while downplaying the positives. Therefore, there is a need to always promote our national image in a positive light.
“A strong national asset attracts talents, tourists, and investors. These combinations will, in turn, further strengthen the country. The reverse is also true; a weak national brand discourages investments and talents, depriving a country of what it needs for national development.”
On his part, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar also said false narrative and misinformation had the power to distort facts and damage reputations in ways that were difficult to reverse.
He said it was unfortunate that the achievements of the nation were not given the same visibility as stories of corruption, political instability and insecurity among others.
Earlier in his address, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television, John Momoh, warned against dragging the nation’s reputation through the mud.
Speaking at the event, Chairman and President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku said attaining reputation required a lot of hard work, careful design, deep foresight, skillful planning, and strategic implementation of well orchestrated programmes and actions.
He said the reputation of the country needed help, hence, the unveiling of the NRMG was a robust response to the call.
The Director General of NMRG, Yomi Badejo-Okunsanya, urged the federal government to designate October 15 each year as Nigerian Reputation Day.
Proofreading by Uchechi Ojo, Sub-editor at Neptune Prime.
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