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Nigeria Ready To Host UNESCO Media, Information Literacy Institute – Minister
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, says Nigeria is ready to host UNESCO Category two International Media Information and Literacy Institute to advance the frontiers of press freedom and democracy.
Idris stated this when a delegation of UNESCO Feasibility Team paid him a visit at the Ministry in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide source reports that the team is in Nigeria to assess the National Open University of Nigeria’s (NOUN) facilities for the establishment of UNESCO Category 2 International Media and Information Literacy Institute.
Idris said the Federal Government had decided to make sure that every requirement that UNESCO had put in place for the final approval of the Category 2 International Media and Information Literacy Center was put in place in Nigeria.
“Since Nigeria was given the provisional hosting right, we have been working very hard.
“We, sometime last year, reached out to the NOUN, made them to understand the relevance of this, not just to Nigeria, but also to Africa and to the world.
“The International Media and Information Literacy Institute is not just designed
for the people of Nigeria but actually for the people of the world.
“And this is an opportunity for our country to show, not just our expertise and professionalism, but also our commitment to media and information literacy globally.
“President Bola Tinubu has graciously,
not just only approved what the ministry in collaboration with the NOUN is doing, but also ensured that whatever support is required would be provided.
“As it is today, we have the right funding for the take off of the International Media and Information Literacy Institute category 2 in Nigeria. We have the resources in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Education, NOUN and other stakeholders to ensure that this happens.
“Nigeria is ever ready to join the global community. We are ready to advance the frontiers of democracy through these collaborations and engagements, and we are also ready to play by the rules on the international scene to ensure Nigeria takes its rightful place and contributes to global progress and development,” Idris said.
The Minister appreciated NOUN for its commitment to ensuring that the centre becomes a reality, reiterating that Nigeria is
ready to go ahead and host the International Media and Information Literacy Institute.
According to him, the institute is the first of its kind , not just in the African continent, but the world, Andrew Nigeria is ready.
“We had support from seven Nations and about 20 countries have already indicated interest to support us. And we know that at the next sitting, we would be given the final hosting right of the institute in Abuja.”
On his part, the Project Manager, who is also the leader of the delegation, Mr Nelson Papi Kolliesuah, said his experience in the last 24 hours in the assessment process had been positive.
Kolliesuah, who was also accompanied by the Development and Partnership Officer, Mr Abubakar Sani Abdullahi, and other staff of NOUN, said his team was in Morocco last year for a similar initiative, to conduct a feasibility study.
“UNESCO did receive a proposal from the National Open University of Nigeria
to a destination to designate the International Media and Literacy Institute as a category two institute.
“That proposal was received and reviewed by UNESCO. We were designated to have an in-person feasibility study. So, the sole purpose of our visit is to ensure that what has been reflected in the proposal is actually the reality on ground.
“Our three-day mission here in Abuja is solely focused on visiting the university infrastructure, particularly the International Media and Literacy Institute, to see the available infrastructure if they meet the requirement needed to be designated as category two.
“We are also to interact with the staff there to know if they do have the capacity. We will also look at the aspect of governance as well.
“This is because, we want to ensure that any institution that is licensed as a category two institute has a well-structured governance that is fully effective to lead them towards the delivery of those objectives that were mentioned within the proposal,” Kolliesuah said.
He further explained that the delegation’s coming to the ministry was to interact with one or two staff members to know if their position on the institute aligned with national priority.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”