The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Niger State Council, Comrade Abu Nmodu, has raised the alarm about the proliferation of content creators posing as Journalists across the state, saying “they are the ones misinforming the public”.
He made this disclosure on Monday at the training workshop for local government information officers and media aides organised by the NUJ, Niger State Council, in collaboration with the Niger State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Minna.
According to him, “Most of the news from LGAs is either misinformation or disinformation because they are from non-professionals, whereas we have Information officers who can give us verified information.
“I want to urge the state and local governments to stop working with content creators because they are impersonating the professionals who are trained Journalists.
“Very soon we will go after content creators who are posing as Journalists and using Android phones to generate fake news. We will not allow them to hide under the guise of being journalists”.
While disclosing that the training for media aides and information officers was to set the right agenda for the society, Nmodu said it is very sad that information officers are no longer available to dig out the right information from their various beats and LGAs.
Accordingly, he said, “In those days, we depended on information officers to get news from rural areas.
“Information officers must be up and doing so that we do not give content creators the space to feed us with lies, but try as much as possible to liaise with other journalists so that we can interface regularly to bridge the gap in the profession”.
He then advised LGA Chairmen to work closely with information officers, adding that “there is a difference between content creators, media aides and information officers”.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Obed Nuhu, emphasised the importance of LGA information officers, adding that the LGA Chairmen should prioritise information and liaise with the State Ministry of Information and Orientation.
He then charged the information officers to distinguish themselves by being productive and assertive and to acquire the prerequisite qualifications to function optimally.
In his goodwill message, National President, Association of Information Officers of Nigeria, Jibril Suleja charged the officers to work closely with their principals so as to project their activities regularly.
