President Tinubu tasks media experts on Nigeria’s positive image promotion
By Trek Africa Newspaper
President Bola Tinubu has urged media practitioners across Nigeria to leverage their platforms in promoting the country’s positive image, stressing that accurate reporting is vital for enhancing both national pride and international perception.
Tinubu emphasized that responsible journalism is essential for strengthening democracy, fostering national unity, and building public trust in the country’s institutions.
Speaking to editors and media managers during the opening ceremony of the Nigeria Editors Conference on Wednesday, the president noted that the role of the press goes beyond reporting events, urging them to ensure that public discourse strengthens, rather than weakens, the foundations of the nation.
“Through out our history journalism in Nigeria have been more than a professional, it’s an instrument of national awakening from having newspaper that challenged the colonial injustices to the principled voices that kept hope alive during the dark days of the military dictatorship,” Tinubu added.
He acknowledged the sacrifices of journalists who endured intimidation, detention, and personal hardship, noting that their efforts form part of the foundation upon which the nation’s democracy rests.
The President also emphasized that democracy is not self-sustaining but requires constant vigilance, reasoned public debate, and ethical exercise of the media’s power.
Editors and managers, he said, play a central role in shaping narratives, influencing public understanding, and deciding what becomes national focus.
Highlighting the challenges of the modern information environment, Tinubu warned that social media, while empowering citizens, can also accelerate the spread of misinformation.
He urged journalists to anchor their work in verification, balance, and professional judgment, reporting boldly but responsibly.
Criticism of government policy, he said, should be fair, knowledgeable, and aimed at building a stronger society rather than tearing it down.
On governance and national progress, Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to national security, economic stability, and inclusive growth.
He noted that reforms and strong institutions alone cannot achieve the Nigeria the nation seeks; trust, collaboration, and shared understanding among government, civil society, private sector, and the media are equally important.
He called on journalists to exercise their responsibilities with integrity and seriousness, emphasizing that the stories Nigerians tell themselves as a nation shape the society they will become.
