President Bola Ahmed Tinubu opened the 21st All Nigeria Editors Conference in Aso Villa by cautioning media institutions on how they portray Nigeria’s image to the public. The President also spoke on social media, saying that while it has made everyone a potential publisher, it has also increased the scale of misinformation.
At the same conference, The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Prince Nduka Obaigbena announced the launch of LekeeLekee, a new social media platform designed to challenge American and Chinese dominance in global content distribution.
Obaigbena’s announcement highlighted the importance for African media leaders to control distribution channels to shape the continent’s narrative.
In another development, the former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi denied claims that he traveled to meet with former U.S President, Barack Obama to plot to remove President Goodluck Jonathan from office ahead of the 2015 elections.
Meanwhile in Abuja, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu defended President Trump’s controversial comments on insecurity in Nigeria, claiming that the remarks reflect the country’s grim reality.
In a similar vein, the African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf rejected accusations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, saying that the first victims of Boko Haram are Muslims, and not Christians.
It comes as a video from April has resurfaced, showing the Governor of Plateau State Caleb Mutfwang saying that the violence in his state is not a clash between farmers and herders, but is a genocide instead.
In another development, the video of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s heated exchange with Naval Lt. A.M. Yerima over an alleged illegal land allocation has lead to Nigerians creating memes, AI edits and skits, turning the confrontation into a social media phenomenon.
However, some military leaders have condemned Wike’s comportment with the Defence Ministry launching an investigation into the incident.
Wike has also reportedly ordered a total ban on the use of mobile phones by staff of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems and the Department of Land Administration, with some workers criticising the decision.
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