Media
President Tinubu, fix your media team – By Kalu Aja
Dear President Tinubu,
I hope this message finds you well. I want to draw your attention to an issue that has been quite concerning to me and, I believe, to many Nigerians interested in the country’s progress and development.
Recently, I have noticed a pattern of inaccurate and misleading information being disseminated by your media team. It is particularly troubling because this misinformation bears your name and has been attributed to your office. I want to highlight a few instances where such misinformation has been circulated.
An example of such an instance was the report on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) removing the visa ban on Nigerians travelling to Dubai, which was untrue.
The most recent instance was the $600 million investment from Maersk that was reported to have been signed at the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia, which turned out to be, at best, premature and, at worst, false.
The report about the Maersk investment was particularly damaging because, if true, it could have elevated Nigeria’s position as an investment destination and shown that your policies are indeed working.
The $600m investment was expected to create new jobs in Nigeria and contribute to the growth of the GDP, which would have strengthened the naira.
However, the subsequent revelation that this news was false or premature has significantly affected Nigeria’s international reputation. It suggests that your office does not have adequate control over its press releases, which is unfortunate.
Therefore, I strongly advise you to closely examine your media team to determine why they have failed to deliver accurate and reliable information.
While I understand that many of them were with you during the campaign, it is time to consider hiring professionals to help you manage your image and communication, particularly in economic communication.
As you know, fake social media news has been described as a strategic threat to national security by your National Security Advisor, and it is crucial to have a competent team that can manage your communication effectively.
It is imperative to ensure that the information disseminated from your office is accurate and reliable to avoid embarrassing situations such as the one with the Maersk investment.
I urge you to take action to prevent further damage to Nigeria’s reputation. Your office has a significant responsibility to the nation and ensuring that in-house incompetence does not hinder the country’s progress is essential.
Thank you for your time, sir.
