Bayo Onanuga, the special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, has said most of the screaming headlines in national dailies and online media that paint gory pictures of the security situation in Nigeria are nothing but exaggerations.
In a press statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Onanuga called on the media to tone down the rate at which they paint the country as an uninhabitable place to live in the international community.
“Media reporting about cases of kidnapping, communal killings and isolated terrorism acts must show some moderation by not giving the impression that all Nigerians no longer sleep with two eyes closed or are not safe in going about their day-to-day business,” he urged.
He added, “To sell our newspapers or clickbait, we tend to exaggerate and embellish, sometimes forgetting the social responsibility of the media, not to give the impression that our country is under siege by criminals or that every nook and cranny of our country is under their stranglehold.”
According to Onanuga, though such reports hold sway, Nigeria did not make the list of the top ten countries with robbery and kidnapping epidemics.
“In a report by the World Population Review, Nigeria is not among the top 10 countries in the world, with a kidnapping epidemic. Turkey leads with 42 people kidnapped out of 100,000 people,” said the government official.
“Lebanon is second with 15 people out of 100,000, and Kuwait is third with 12 out of 100,000 held in captivity. Canada, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Eswatini and the United Kingdom make up the remaining top 10. Kidnapping in Nigeria is 0.334 per 100,000.”
Onanuga urged the Nigerian media to support the military’s efforts in stamping out the “evils of kidnapping, banditry, communal killings and terrorism in our country.”
“Their efforts, most often understated, have made our country safer, at least, than South Africa or the United States, where 44,310 people were killed last year in gun violence,” he added.
Continuing, the presidential spokesman said “President Tinubu has been providing material support to security agencies to discharge their duties. In recent weeks, we have seen the police setting up a Special Intervention Squad equipped with drones. The Department of State Services, DSS, has stepped up its anti-kidnapping act, rescuing 154 abducted people in the last few days.”
“Last week, President Tinubu approved N50 billion as special funds to address some of the lingering security challenges in North East. He also approved special funds to the FCT for the acquisition of equipment to track criminals.”
