FG won't regulate online publications - Minister

Online publishers in Nigeria have been advised to maintain credibility.

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed gave the advice during a meeting with online publishers.

He said that government has no intention to regulate online publications because it believed they are responsible enough to regulate themselves.

“If the online publications suffer credibility problems, they stand the risk of losing the confidence of their readers and the advertisers who provide the lifeblood for the publications’ survival,” he said.

He noted that while the number of online publications would continue to grow, only the credible ones would continue to enjoy the loyalty of their readers and advertisers.

He added that the growth in the number of online publications would help government to bridge the information gap between the government and the people and also help in carrying the citizens along as regards the implementation of policies that affect their lives.

He assured that government would support online publications through advertising.

“All we ask for, in return, is that you provide accurate information to the people, and avoid sensationalism and partisanship.

‘’The National Security Awareness Campaign, aimed at rallying the support of Nigerians for the war on terror, is on-going. Also, the National Sensitisation Campaign against Corruption was formally launched in Abuja on Monday, and it is aimed at rallying Nigerians against the cankerworm of corruption which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society.

“We are also preparing to launch a National Re-orientation Campaign, which is tagged ‘Change Begins With Me’, to achieve a paradigm shift in the way we do things."

Describing the war against corruption as one of the cardinal programmes of the Buhari administration, Mohammed said that no attention paid to corruption could be said to be too much.

“Some have said the government is dwelling too much on the war against corruption to the detriment of other areas of governance. Our response to that is that indeed, there is nothing like dwelling too much on this war, which is a war of survival for our nation.

“The situation is grim, very grim indeed, as far as corruption is concerned. That is why the Federal Government is embarking on this sensitisation campaign. Our approach is not to vilify anyone but to use facts and figures to give Nigerians a sense of the cost of corruption.”

He called on online publishers to support the war against corruption by keeping that Nigerians well informed about how corruption affects their lives.