By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has warned government media aides against spreading misinformation, engaging in character assassination or using social media to inflame ethnic and religious tensions.
Buni gave the warning in Kano on Monday while declaring open a two-day strategic communication and media workshop for more than 150 media and photography aides working with his administration.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, the governor said media aides occupied a strategic position in connecting the government with citizens and must therefore ensure that information released to the public was factual, credible and professionally presented.
He urged the participants to avoid the misuse of digital platforms for insults, false claims, ethnic profiling, religious incitement and attacks on individuals.
According to him, government achievements should be communicated through verifiable facts and evidence rather than exaggerated or fabricated claims.
“Engage with facts, defend government with evidence, correct misinformation with civility and disagree without insulting,” Buni told the participants.
The governor also challenged his media team to deepen communication at the grassroots by listening to citizens and explaining government policies and programmes in languages that people can easily understand.
He further urged them to engage traditional rulers, religious leaders, youths and women in a manner that promotes understanding and strengthens public confidence in government.
With Nigeria gradually moving towards another electoral cycle, Buni stressed that political communication must not become a tool for division.
“Our democracy must remain a contest of ideas,” he said, urging the media team to use their platforms to protect peace, unity and social cohesion in Yobe.
The governor said effective communication remained central to his administration’s philosophy of Continuity, Consolidation and Transformation, particularly in keeping citizens informed about government policies, projects and achievements.
He added that the workshop was designed to sharpen the participants’ skills in strategic communication, crisis management, fact-checking, digital media, photography, public engagement and peaceful grassroots mobilisation.
Bego: Social Media Offers Jobs, Business Opportunities
Earlier, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, commended Governor Buni for prioritising the professional development of his media aides.
Bego said the workshop represented the second major capacity-building programme organised for the governor’s media team within one year, describing it as evidence of the administration’s commitment to professional public communication.
He urged participants to take advantage of the opportunities provided by social media, noting that digital platforms had evolved beyond information dissemination into important avenues for entrepreneurship, skills development and income generation.
The commissioner, however, cautioned the media aides to deploy digital tools strategically and responsibly while using their growing influence to explain government programmes and interact constructively with citizens.
In a goodwill message delivered virtually, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious Affairs, Ustaz Babagana Malam Kyari, also urged the participants to exercise restraint and responsibility online.
Kyari noted that social media content could have far-reaching consequences, stressing that every post, comment or message could either advance public interest or create tension and harm.
He therefore charged the media aides to ensure that their online activities promote peace, unity, responsible citizenship and better public understanding.
The workshop, themed “Digital Voices for Better Yobe: Mastering Social Media for Positive Impact,” was organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Yobe State Government for Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants and Technical Assistants on Media and Photography.
The event attracted senior government officials and other stakeholders, including permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies, directors and strategic communication officials.
Resource persons drawn from Bayero University, Kano, the University of Maiduguri and Yobe State University are expected to deliver papers covering communication, digital media, computer science, political communication and related fields.
The training is expected to equip Yobe’s media team with stronger tools to counter misinformation, communicate government policies effectively and build a more constructive relationship between the administration and the people.
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