The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi has promised Nigerians that his duty, as mandated by President Bola Tinubu is to tell the citizens the truth about the government and its policies.
The Minister said under his watch, there will be no room for lies or fake news about government activities and policies, promising to operate an open door policy.
Naija News reports Magagi stated this on Monday during an official reception, organized in his honour by the ministry on Monday in Abuja.
The new Minister said the President has given him the mandate to tell Nigerians the truth about the government and as an experienced practitioner with about thirty years of experience, he is reporting for duty.
Malagi vowed that under his watch the Ministry would be reinvigorated and repositioned.
The Minister made the pledge in the company of his Arts, Culture and Creative Economy and Tourism counterpart who were also part of the official reception by the ministry.
In his words, ‘‘For me, I am actually a reporter reporting for duty, and I meant it with every sense of the word. The President has asked me to come and tell you, this is a brand new ministry of Information and National Orientation. This is a ministry that is set to be re-positioned like never before. I have been in the industry for nearly three decades and I should know where the shoe pinches.
“Today is not for policy announcement but a day to familiarize ourselves with all the stakeholders in the ministry.
‘‘We are poised to ensure that the Renewed Hope of Mr President gets serious traction. Mr. President has sent me to come and say it the way it is, Mr. President didn’t send me to come and lie, and this is the new covenant with you and Nigerians.
“We are going to say it as it is, Mr. President is somebody who is truthful, honest, transparent, he has said that when we come, we should own up where there are mistakes, we should own up where we erred, we should not be shy to say, No this is wrong and we are going to correct it. The ministry will be at the core of its job, the job of info dissemination.’’
The Minister in his speech also assured media practitioners that the Ministry will be open and transparent. He promised answers would be provided for everything they want to know as much as possible.
‘’The ministry is going to be open, transparent and accountable to Nigerians. There will be no hold back here, everything you want to know, you will get to know. Please ask your question, we will let you know, if you don’t understand, go and seek clarification. If we are wrong we will apologize. We must ensure that transparency is the watch word in this ministry. Join us in helping Mr President in building enduring legacy for our dear nation, that’s why we are here,’’ Malagi added.