Defence Minister Bags DICAN Award, Vows Support Against Fake News
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, H.E. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has pledged full support in the fight against disinformation, misinformation and fake news, describing it as a battle that demands collective effort.
Speaking in Abuja after receiving the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) Award of Excellence for Strategic Security Policy Formulation, the Minister said fake narratives continue to damage Nigeria’s image and must be countered with patriotism and truth.
“As Nigerians, we have no other country but Nigeria. We must correct the bad image being pushed out there by unpatriotic people,” he said, commending DICAN’s efforts to strengthen diplomacy, intelligence and media collaboration in the disinformation age.
The award also recognised other distinguished Nigerians, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, and Air Peace founder Allen Onyema, among others.
DICAN Chairman, Idehai Frederick, said the association is committed to enhancing the capacity of diplomatic correspondents to identify and combat foreign information manipulation, disinformation and fake news, which threaten democracy and stability.
He urged the government, the diplomatic community, civil society and stakeholders to support DICAN with resources and capacity-building tools to sustain its mission.
