The Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC) Bauchi State, Ibrahim Muhammad Darazo has asked journalists to ensure factual and unbiased information dissemination to refute avalanche of fake news about Nigeria’s population demographics.
He said accurate and factual coverage of the 2023 housing and population census will make the outcome of the exercise credible and acceptable to all.
The last housing and population census in Nigeria was conducted about 16 years ago. Census in Nigeria was designed to be conducted after every 10 years.
The Federal Commissioner said this in Bauchi on Thursday during a capacity-building workshop organised for journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat.
He said the overall success of the exercise hinges on the flow of accurate and factual information to members of the public. Darazo said journalists are the conduit pipe of the destination of information, thus making them critical stakeholders for the 2023 housing and population census.
Further, Darazo said with the current prevalence of misinformation and fake news about Nigeria’s demographics for political and oftentimes sentiments, it is a national calling for journalists to fact check and refute such unverified information in circulation.
He called on journalists to be professional and unbiased in the coverage of the census.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists Bauchi State Council, Comrade Umar Sa’idu explained that the training was the first of its kind in the history of the council, hence the need for participants to apply the knowledge and skills gained to proper use.
Sa’idu said the training is critical for effective media coverage of the 2023 census. The chairman pledged to continue Organising such trainings to improve the capacity of journalists to contribute to national development.
