On Nigeria’s commemoration of the 2024 World Radio Day, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, emphasized the vital role of radio stations, urging both traditional and online platforms to uphold broadcasting principles and ethics.
Idris underscored the importance of editorial functions like fact-checking, objectivity, and balance before disseminating news to maintain radio’s credibility and the trust it garners among Nigerians.
Furthermore, he called upon sub-national governments, affluent individuals, and stakeholders to invest in community radio stations. This investment, aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aims to strengthen democracy, foster social cohesion, and provide rural communities with credible information.
To enhance the reliability, efficiency, and affordability of community radio, Idris revealed government-initiated reforms in the establishment process, with eighty-nine community radio stations already granted broadcast licenses.
Encouraging radio listeners to utilize the medium for learning and empowerment, Idris highlighted plans for government collaboration with UNESCO to drive sectoral reforms and capacity building, strengthening radio’s ability to disseminate credible information.
The theme for the 2024 World Radio Day is “Radio: A Century of Informing, Entertaining, and Educating,” underscoring radio’s enduring impact on society.
