Abubakar Bello, the governor of Niger State, said that the state’s high level of insecurity has hindered investment growth and that outsiders are staying away.
At the 2022 Press Week of the Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, with the theme “Fact-check to end fake news; tasks before Niger State Journalists amid Security Challenges,” in Minna over the weekend, the governor was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane.
According to Matane, the state’s struggles with instability have cost it investment possibilities.
Matane further attributed the loss of investment prospects to the quick rise in false information about the state’s security condition.
“Fake news has provided unnecessary perception about what is truly going on about insecurity in the state. Many investors have failed to come to the state, and the state has lost so many opportunities in terms of investments.
“These days, many travellers avoid coming to Niger State because of the news that does not reflect the real issues on the ground,” he said.
Matane asked media to check the facts before publishing them and added that fake news needs to be investigated to guarantee that the state’s bad connotations surrounding insecurity were eliminated.
The NUJ National President, Comrade Chris Isiguzo, made a point in his speech that fake news needed to be monitored since it may cause social, religious, and political conflicts.
He said, “We are not going to accept it. The NUJ has reprimanded some journalists who got caught up in the web of bogus news. To stop the tide, we have taken action.
