#MP2013 Presentation of the Minister of Information

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION

A PRESENTATION BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, LABARAN MAKU

JUNE 28TH 2013 1

The Federal Ministry of Information is the fulcrum of the nation's public information management responsible for policy making, planning, processing, packaging and the dissemination of information which will project the image and reputation of the Nigerian nation, its people, and Government. In this role, the Ministry stimulates the exchange of information and ideas primarily amongst Nigerians, and the world at large, to promote good governance, peaceful co-existence, harmony, growth and development.

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BACKGROUND…Cont’d.

The Ministry also initiates programmes, policies, rules and regulations for the development and maintenance of orderly information systems consistent with acceptable cultural and conventional norms and ethics of the Nigerian people and the global community.

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“To lead the management of the image and reputation of the people and government of Nigeria through a professional and dynamic public information system that facilitates access by citizens and the global community to credible and timely information about our nation.”

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“To enable a dynamic and participatory public information system that fosters and sustains the overall growth and development of the country and its people.”

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Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)

Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN)

Voice of Nigeria (VON)

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

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National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)

Nigerian Press Council (NPC)

Nigerian Film Corporation

National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB)

Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)

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The Achievements of the Ministry in the past two years should be considered against the following realities:

The 5 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on which policy implementation has been based.

Direct ownership of a majority of frontline print and electronic media by the opposition who use this influence to oppose government policies and programmes.

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Undue media focus on politics and politicking, rather than development issues and progress.

The hitherto poor and ineffective utilization of the social media by government to advance policies and programmes and to respond effectively and timely to negative publicity.

The atrocities of Boko Haram, which incensed the public against the government and created negative perception for our country.

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The contradictions in the polity which have created a situation in which factions of the ruling Party are the frontline platforms used by opposition parties to mobilize public opinion against the government and its policies.

The nationwide strike by organized labour and the protests by civil society groups in the wake of the deregulation of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

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Heightened propaganda that followed disclosure of abuses in the fuel subsidy disbursements.

The unfortunate Dana Air crash which roused the negative emotions of bereaved citizens and aggrieved members of the public.

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The bloated expectations of citizens in the aftermath of the 2011 Presidential Elections in which millions of voters who elected the President expected miracles shortly after.

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The foregoing produced negative perceptions which the Federal Ministry of Information has worked hard to clear through upgrading our current media outreach programmes and activities towards better appreciation of the philosophy and programmes of Mr. President as contained in the Transformation Agenda.

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Thus, the Federal Ministry of Information has during the period under review articulated aggressive publicity push, utilizing DOMESTIC, EXTERNAL and SOCIAL MEDIA platforms, with extensive and intensive deployment of resources and expertise considering the fact that the Ministry had zero allocation in 2011 for publicity.

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STRATEGIC WORKPLAN IN SYNC WITH THE

o The Ministry developed and deployed a strategic work-plan for public information management anchored on various platforms.

o The strategic work-plan was preceded by extensive consultations and deep reflections on the institutional reengineering required to refocus the Ministry.

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o The work plan consists of short-term and long-term objectives, as well as modalities, to enhance the Ministry's capacity to deliver on its statutory mandate, especially in the context of the Administration's Transformation Agenda.

STRATEGIC WORKPLAN IN SYNC WITH THE

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THE STRATEGIC WORK PLAN INCLUDES:

Extensive multimedia domestic publicity of Government projects and programmes nationwide, including greater synergy with the MDAs in their media outreach activities.

Vigorous and sustained publicity for the country abroad, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

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The re-introduction of Information Units in Nigerian Missions abroad to coordinate the external publicity of Nigeria, its people and potentials to enhance our nation's reputation and attract Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) into the country.

Transformation of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to a global brand that is comparable to CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, etc.

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THE STRATEGIC WORK PLAN INCLUDES: Transformation of the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN), first, as the authoritative agency covering the West African sub region; and ultimately, to a continental status.

Tenacious implementation of the Digital Roll-over project for the broadcast industry.

Enlightenment and mobilization of the citizenry to personalize, drive, and help realize Vision 20:2020, through a robust collaboration with the National Planning Commission.

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THE STRATEGIC WORK PLAN INCLUDES: Peace building and national security awareness

campaign to sensitize Nigerians on the current security challenges.

Sustain the Federal Government Special Publications- Nigeria Monthly; and the introduction of a bi-weekly Governance Today and other thematic publications on special projects, such as Power, Roads.

Revival, replacement, and provision of new facilities for the Ministry's Information Centres nationwide.

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Training and retraining of Information Officers to coordinate the publicity activities of all MDAs and Federal Government development initiatives in all the States of the federation.

Completion of the Federal Government Press complex in Abuja, and the immediate publication of all outstanding Federal Government Gazettes and statutory publications.

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The development of the motion picture industry and the maximization of its potential for job creation, entertainment, and national image projection, through increased professionalization and effective government support for the growth of the film industry.

Leveraging on the new (Social) media.

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STRATEGIC OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

This report of the achievements of the Ministry in 2011 - 2013 is presented on the basis of the five (5) Broad Outcomes of the Ministry’s Key Performance Indicators.

They are:

1. Strategic Communication of Government Policies and Programmes

2. Building a Positive Image and Promoting National Consciousness

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STRATEGIC OUTCOMES AND ACHIEVEMENTS 3. Provision of an Effective Regulatory Environment for the

Media and Allied Industry

4. Preservation of Nigeria’s Archival Heritage

5. Provision of Policy and Administrative Services.

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1.0 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES

At the core of the Ministry’s functions is the strategic communication of government policies and programmes. This two-way traffic ensures that citizens and the global community are aware of government activities and also participate in governance.

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ACHIEVEMENTS

1.1. MINISTERIAL PLATFORM

The Platform, the first of its kind in the history of

our country, was approved by the President and the Federal Executive Council. This was an initiative of the Ministry designed to promote a national conversation between the people of Nigeria and its government on the development agenda of government and the progress of our democracy.

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The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, at the first

edition of the Ministerial Platform with L-R Minister of Water Resources Mrs. Sarah

Ochekpe, Minister of Environment Mrs.

Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafiya, Minister of Agriculture and

Rural Development Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina and

Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural

Development, Dr. Bukar Tijjani in attendance

The 1st edition of the Ministerial Platform involved all Ministries, and took place between April 24 – May 22, 2012. The 2nd edition of the Platform commenced on June 3rd 2013 and will end on July 1st, 2013.

A Compendium of the presentations of the maiden edition of Ministerial Platform has been published.

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MINISTERIAL PLATFORM

L-R Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar; Minister of Information, Mr.

Labaran Maku; Minister of Works Arc. Mike Onolememen and Minister of State

Works Amb. Bashir Yuguda at the 2nd edition of the Ministerial Platform.

L-R Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Bukar Tijjani,

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, Minister of Environment Mrs.Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafiya and Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran

Maku in attendance 28


• The first edition was broadcast live on NTA, FRCN and VON. It was also streamed live on social media networks to ensure global participation of Nigerians in the Diaspora and of the global community through an interactive Question and Answer format. The second edition has the added reach of live transmission on some private radio and television networks, notably AIT and Channels.

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MINISTERIAL PLATFORM • It fosters in public office holders the understanding

that the people are our masters and we must report what we do to them and get their feedback for greater service delivery.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni (third from left) at the Platform alongside members of the audience.

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MINISTERIAL PLATFORM • It promotes a participatory multi-media information

dissemination and information sharing process between the government and the people on all major programmes, projects and activities of government.

• This is part of our policy initiative to realize the good governance goal of the Transformation Agenda by making Government functionaries accountable to the people.

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MINISTERIAL PLATFORM • Participation in the Ministerial Platform has been

phenomenal and unprecedented as Nigerians in far-flung corners of the world from Australia, China, Europe, the Americas and all parts of Africa send in questions, comments and ideas.

• The 2nd edition of the Platform coincided with the mid-term report by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and has afforded the MDAs an opportunity for amplification of their accomplishments and prospects. 32

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku test-riding the Made-in-Nigeria Motorcycle manufactured by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). Looking on are the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, (left) and Minister of

Science and Technology, Professor Ita Ewa Bassey (centre).

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• The Platform has transformed our democracy by promoting healthy competition among Cabinet Ministers who are working harder to report positive achievements to the people of Nigeria.


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• It is a trailblazer as it is the first of its kind by any government in Africa, and it stands alone in most democracies in the World. No where else are serving Ministers lined up to report their achievements to the public and answer questions directly from the people across the World.


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• It has made information about government programmes, projects and actions available to the people on a scale and range never before witnessed in this country.

• It has humbled State officials by making them realize that the people are sovereign and demand answers from them on the mandate and resources entrusted in their hands.


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• The Ministerial Platform has become the most popular and most followed programme ever conducted by any government in our democracy.

• The Platform has united Nigerians as they act

together, watch and listen to what their leaders at the national level are doing, and ask questions for clarification.


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• It is therefore the most participatory and pro-people information dissemination and information sharing programme ever run by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

• It has ensured transparency and accountability of Federal Government actions and policy implementation in the field spread across Nigeria.


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• The information dished out can be accessed any time by the Nigerian people on the internet for future references by scholars, policy analysts, commentators and interested citizens.

• Because of the popularity of the Platform there are requests that it should be open to advertisements by companies which wish to use it to reach their target markets.


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• The Ministerial Platform is a revolutionary initiative by President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration which has changed the relationship between the governed and their leaders and created a tradition of accountability of State officials to the people which will continue to deepen and strengthen our national democratic values and culture anchored on the principle of credible leadership for the service of the people and the unity and transformation of our country as one of the greatest and prosperous nations of the World.


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• As part of its drive for the promotion of good governance and wide publicity of government development programmes, the Ministry commenced the National Good Governance Tour to monitor major projects that have either been completed or are ongoing as stated by the various Ministers at the premier edition of Ministerial Platform. The National Good Governance Tour is in collaboration with the Ministry of National Planning, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Project Monitoring and Evaluation, and the Nigerian Governors' Forum.

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The Tour involves visiting the six geo-political zones of the Federation and the FCT. This is part of the Ministry's facilitation of accountability and transparency in Government, to build trust between the government and the people.

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NIPP Power Plant in Alaoji, Abia State.

The inspection of Alaoji Power Component by the NGGT Team

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• The Tour is also aimed at sensitizing communities to take ownership of projects located in their domains and to monitor the implementation of such projects and guard against vandalism.

• The Tour will remain a key feature of our public information strategy and ensure proper monitoring of the performance of contractors and other service providers.

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• The Tour commenced on 20th September, 2012 with visits to the FCT and the North Central Zone –Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa states. The Tour resumed in mid-January 2013 with visits to the South East, South South zones as well as to Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina in the North West zone, and will resume after the Ministerial Platform. So far, 19 states have been visited in the country.

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Minister of Transport Sen. Idris Umar, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku, and Engr. Adeseye Sijuwade, Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Corporation when the

National Good Governance Tour Team boarded a train from Ilorin to Offa 46

• Projects visited cut across all sectors – Water, Roads, Infrastructure, agriculture, and development of new and existing Districts in the FCT as well as Health and Educational institutions in the states.

• The Team uncovered, in at least two instances, shoddy execution by contractors, resulting in the revocation of the contracts. Projects revoked due to poor execution are:

Bokkos-Panyam-Wamba road project in Plateau State, and Agaie-Katcha-Boro Road project in Niger State.

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Transport Minister Sen. Idris Umar watches as the Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku interacts with passengers on the train from Ilorin to

Offa during the National Good Governance Tour of Kwara State. 48

Ebony Rice Processing Mill, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

Destoning Rice Section at the Ebony Rice Factory in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

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Bagged Ebony Brand Rice at the Rice Mill in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

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• During the National Good Governance Tour, Citizens' Forum (town hall meeting) is held in each State for robust engagement between the host Governor, Ministers and stakeholders. Issues and programmes are explained; new propositions are tabled and discussed to ensure proper feedback to the government.

Minister of Works Arc. Mike Onolememen (second from left) with the Information

Minister, Labaran Maku (right) at the Citizens’ Forum in Benin

A cross-section of the packed venue of the Citizens’ Forum in Edo State

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• The Tour has provided a platform to continue our campaign for peace and security; national unity and patriotism; sustainable environment; human capital development and good governance.

• The Tour has generated intense media attention, especially in the host States and in the social media, with very positive reviews. State governments have found it a veritable opportunity to collaborate with the Federal Government in showcasing their accomplishments. The Tour Secretariat has been inundated with requests about the visitation dates to the remaining States of the Federation. 52

• A short documentary on the Tour will be aired at the end of this presentation.

Participants at the Citizens’ Forum in Awka, Anambra State.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State exchanging pleasantries with the

Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, at the Citizens’ Forum in Awka, Anambra State. 53

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku and some officials on inspection of the progress of work at the remodeled Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Information Minister exchanging pleasantries with a young boy during the inspection of the remodeled Benin Airport, Edo State.

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Gov. Peter Obi and Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku being briefed by the Plant Manager at the completed grains Silos in Awka, Anambra State.

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Deputy Governor Niger State Alhaji Musa Ibeto, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu

and Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku during the Town Hall Meeting in Minna

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku and Governor Tanko Al-Makura at the Town Hall Meeting in Lafia during the National Good

Governance Tour of Nasarawa State

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Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku, Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe and members of the National Good Governance Tour during the inspection

of the newly completed Makeri Power Station in Jos, Plateau State 57

Visit to the Teragro Fruit Juice Processing Factory Makurdi, Benue State, by the NGGT.

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Inspection of the completed Eyenkorin Dam, an Irrigation Project in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Some dignitaries at the Town Hall Meeting during the Citizens’ Forum in Minna, Niger State.

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Inspection of ongoing work at Tada-Shonga Irrigation Project, Kwara State expected to irrigate thousands of hectares of Rice Farm. It is a Federal

Government Project. 60

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku in the cockpit of a training aircraft at the Aviation College, Ilorin, Kwara State, established by the State Government.

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Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku and the Minister of Health Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu (right) when the Tour

team inspected some facilities at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau State

Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku during the visit to the Technology Incubation Centre, Jos, where so many machine tools were being fabricated by young artisans and engineers. It is a collaborative effort of the Federal and Plateau State Governments.

The newly reconstructed Zungeru-Akare rail bridge inspected by the NGGT Team 62

VOM – Manchok Road through Rock formation. Olympic size swimming pool in Rivers State.

Songhai Pineapple Plantation Rivers State. Songhai Juice Processing Unit, Rivers State. 63

Ongoing construction of Phase 4 of Onne Sea Port, Rivers State.

Northern Ishan Water supply project, Ugboha, Edo State. NIPP Sapele Power Plant, Delta State. 64

NIPP Omoku-Onelga, Rivers State Gbarain NIPP Project, Bayelsa State.

Rice Irrigation Project, Bakalori, Zamfara State. Patients on Newly acquired Dialysis Machines at Jos

University Teaching Hospital. 65

Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Plant. Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing Company finished products

Entrance to IPP Aba Geometric Power Plant. Distribution lines and One of the Gas Turbine Powering the IPP Aba Geometric Power Plant.

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FIFA Rated Stadium, Jos, Plateau State Computer Room, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa State

Entrance to Newly remodeled Benin Airport. Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku addressing journalists at the Zungeru Train Terminus, Niger State. 67

Agric Services and Training Centre, Vom, Jos. Rice Irrigation Project Bakalori, Zamfara State.

The Minister of Works Arc. Mike Onolememen with the NGGT team on the newly reconstructed Benin-Ofosu section of the

Benin – Shagamu Express Road.

Portion of the Benin-Shagamu express Road. 68

Diagnostics Centre, Kwara State. Newly acquired diagnostic machine at the Diagnostics Centre, Kwara State

Niger Information Geographic Laboratory, Minna. A State government project

Bwari Water Treatment Plant. An FCT Project. 69

• The National Good Governance Tour is the most strenuous and exhaustive inspection of government project/programmes ever undertaken in our new democratic dispensation.

• It has enabled the people of Nigeria to match government promises with actual project delivery on the ground.

• It has defeated wide spread cynicism that government was not working the talk on its policies and promises to the people.

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• To ensure proper accountability and transparency, the Tour team is made up mainly of Journalists and Civil Society Activists led by the National President of NUJ.

• The Tour itself is conducted live on social media platforms and where possible on radio and television to ensure wide spread participation.

• In the course of the Tour, we were able to verify progress of work in all Federal Government projects across the country.

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• The Tour has enabled critical assessment of performance of government Agencies and Contractors.

• Some non performing contracts were terminated as a result of the tour. Such as:

Panyan- Bokkos – Wanba road in Plateau State. Agae – Kacha – Baro road in Niger State.

• The Tour has compelled contractors, service providers and public officers in charge of projects and programmes in the field to sit up.

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• It has revealed and publicized the huge intervention/projects of the Federal Government across the country.

• The Tour has also created healthy competition between State Governments as every Governor gears up to show positive report of its achievements to the nation.

• It also revealed the great effort of many Governors to develop their states.

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• The Tour unearthed salient weaknesses in our media coverage of the country as some of the most performing Governors never got any serious mention in the media before the NGGT reached their States.

• It also showed clearly that those most reported in the media often had less to show during the Tour.

• Overall, the Tour showed that much more work is going on under our democracy at both the Federal and State levels than reported in the Media. 74

• The NGGT also showcased private sector-driven projects which are redefining the economy and the reputation of our nation. Worthy of specific mention here are the Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing plant in Nnewi, Anambra State, which produces motor vehicles from scratch to finish for domestic transport market and for export.

• The Innoson Technical Plastic factory in Enugu is one of the largest plastic manufacturing plants in Africa and exports to all parts of the continent.

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• Progress in Railways reconstruction; inland waterways infrastructure; Road construction; power plants, education infrastructure, agriculture, Health and Industry is comprehensive and explains why the economy is growing at an average of 7% under the Goodluck Jonathan Administration.

• The NGGT has changed the way our government works by ensuring popular oversight of government projects and programmes by the people of Nigeria across the World.

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• The Citizens’ Forum is the most revolutionary part of the NGGT which enables citizens in every state visited to engage officials of government at the Federal, State and Local level on the progress they are making to improve their welfare.

• Many Governors demanded that it be done yearly to increase commitment of governments at all levels to performance.

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The Ministry through its various news organs, continued t o p u b l i c i z e g o v e r n me n t d e v e l o p me n t programmes activities through specific media outreach programmes on NTA, FRCN, NAN and VON.

The Ministry developed sector communication strategies for MDAs and directed its media organizations - FRCN, NTA, VON, NAN-- to provide platforms such as talk shows, discussion programmes, interviews, etc. for MDAs to explain and showcase progress or impact of their projects.

1.3 REGULAR PUBLICITY OF GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES:

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Several MDAs have availed themselves of these media windows to present their accomplishments. For instance, the Ministry of Power embarked on a media tour and maintains some programmes on both public and private media stations to show progress on various power sites. Ministries of Agriculture, Works, Water Resources, and Transportation have deployed the same strategy to good effect.

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The FMI also arranged for Ministers and public functionaries to appear on regular television and radio programmes to discuss government policies. These include Radio Link, Tuesday Night Live, One-on-One and NAN Forum.

The Federal Ministry of Information utilized the private media, both print and electronic platforms. In this regard, the Hon. Minister visited major media organizations in the country to seek their support and partnership in managing the county's reputation and image.

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Press Conferences, Press Statements and Interviews were used to publicize government activities during the period under review.

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1.3.1 Federal Executive Council Briefing o As part of the Strategic Communication channeling

process, the Federal Ministry of Information gave summaries of the Weekly Federal Executive Council Meetings at Federal Executive Council Press Briefings, which enabled Nigerians to be correctly informed about the various decisions, activities and actions taken by the executive arm of Government.

o Press summaries of all major decisions taken at FEC Meetings were produced and given to State House correspondents, thereby enabling the media to accurately report the activities of the Federal Executive Council.

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1.3.1 Federal Executive Council Briefing

o The Minister also granted interviews on the weekly Hausa programmes of international radio stations such as BBC, VOA, Radio France International, Radio Deutsche Welle, and Radio Nigeria Kaduna to publicize decisions of the Federal Executive Council in Hausa language as these stations have very wide listenership within the country and the West Africa sub-region.

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1.3.1 Federal Executive Council Briefing

o All decisions and pronouncements of the Federal Government were regularly uploaded on the Ministry's website. This initiative enabled greater publicity and provided access to factual records of the decisions reached at the FEC meetings and created an opportunity for reactions or feedback from visitors to the site.

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Newly completed Federal Information Resource Centre, Sokoto, Sokoto State.

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The Ministry, in collaboration with the National Planning Commission, embarked on consultations to develop communication strategies to sensitize the citizenry on Vision 20:2020 and Transformation Agenda.

A Joint Committee of the two Ministries developed a draft programme of activities for implementation in 2012 awaiting the official presentation of the Transformation Agenda blueprint by government.

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1.3.2. Federal Government Calendar and Diary

Since the ban on the printing of Federal Government Calendar and Diary was lifted in 2011, the Ministry has exclusively produced and distributed widely the 2012 and 2013 Federal Government Calendars and Diaries for the first time since 2003. This has provided an enlightenment tool to socio-market the Transformation Agenda as well as serves as a veritable tool for image projection at home and abroad.

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1.3.2. Federal Government Calendar and Diary…Cont’d.

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The Ministry continued the publication of the Federal Tenders Journals, which is a one-stop shop for all government procurements, and gave the public opportunity to partake in the bidding process for all government contracts and services in line with the Public Procurement Act 2007.

Federal Government Calendar and Diary.. Cont’d

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1.3.3. Freedom of Information Act

The Ministry collaborated with agencies of the governments of the US and Germany, on capacity building for staff to deepen understanding of the working of the FOI Act.

The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) sensitized 253 journalists from the South-South, South-West and South- East Zones on the provisions of the FOI Act.

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Freedom of Information Act….Cont’d.

A one-day workshop on the FOI Act 2011 with the theme: “Ensuring Transparency in Governance, The FOI Act in Perspective”, was jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Information, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ); at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, on December 11, 2012. The workshop was attended by 386 Stakeholders, including participants from the Ministry, journalists, civil society organizations, lawyers, etc, with the objective of enhancing their capacity to deal with issues arising from and relating to the Act.

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(L-R) Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku, Commissioner for Information Rivers State Ibim Semenitari and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry Information, Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni, at a

workshop on Freedom of Information Act in Abuja.

Freedom of Information Act….Cont’d.

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1.4. Impact of Social Media FMI Website

One of the foremost achievements of the Ministry is its official website on url www.fmi.gov.ng which recorded 470,360 Hits, translating to an average of 32.26 hits/visit between 1st and 14th December, 2012, thus sustaining the uniqueness of FMI Website amongst many websites of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government in Nigeria.

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Picture shows a Screen shot of the Federal Ministry of Information website

http://www.fmi.gov.ng/







Impact of Social Media FMI Website…Cont’d.

The Ministry's website recorded its greatest hits of 2,039,109 from 39,923 visits in May, 2012, 1,191,682 hits in June, and 1,125,696 hits in October, 2012. The hits in May 2012 coincided with the Ministerial Platform while those in October were recorded with the take off of the National Good Governance Tour.

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The online presence and interactions are indicative of a conscious and continued engagement with the Ministry's publics. FMI Website also enables greater publicity and provides access to factual records on governance.

visitors to the Federal Ministry of Information website came from across Nigeria, the United States, Great Britain, Russian Federation, Sweden, France, China, Slovenia, South Africa, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Malaysia, Canada, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, India, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Israel, Belgium, Romania and others.

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It is also remarkable that Internet Search Engines made it possible for visitors to access the Federal Ministry of Information resources. Top on the list of the search engines which directed internet traffic to the Ministry's website include Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Bing, Yandex, MyWebSearch, Microsoft Windows Live, Ask, Google (Images), Spray, NetEase, Rambler and indeed there were links made from an external page, that is, other websites except search engines.

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1.4.1. FMI Social Media Platform

The additional initiative of deploying social media – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube -- to engage the youths and the Diaspora came up during the fuel subsidy crisis. The social media outlets were also utilized during the Ministerial Platform in May, 2012. The initiative became much more justified and rewarding to the communication efforts of FMI during the National Good Governance Tour (NGGT).

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FMI Social Media Platform…Cont’d.

Arrow indicating number of Likes on FMI Facebook Account 98

FMI Social Media Platform…Cont’d.

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1.4.2. National Portal

National Portal: The Ministry conceived the idea in 2005 to design a world-class national Portal www.nigeria.gov.ng charged with the mandate of managing and disseminating information on government policies, programmes and activities to Nigerians and those with vested interest in Nigeria.

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http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/







1.4.2. National Portal

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National Portal….Cont’d.

Where we are now

Unfortunately, due to inadequate funding, the portal could not be sustained for long and by mutual agreement it was taken down in 2009.

Efforts to resuscitate the National Portal continued until 2011 when the IT Department was granted approval to redesign it.

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Development of the National Portal has reached an advanced stage, i.e. technical design is about 90-95% completed.

Content Development has gone far.

Most MDAs have started to make positive contributions to content sourcing.

Possible Content Sourcing include NTA news, FRCN news, Council Meetings, Presidential speeches, Government news Bulletins, Press Statements, Ministers' Speeches, Procurement Information, Recent events with pictorial backups. 103


58 Major International Language Translation platforms

Presidential Blog; Unlimited email accounts

Investment opportunities in Nigeria

Immigration; Tax matters; Tourism destination; Social media centre; Weather update /Currency converter.

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The new face of the National Portal www.nigeria.gov.ng

The new portal is divided into the following sections:

Home Page

About Nigeria

States (All the states of the Federation)

Government (The Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary)

E-Government (Citizens Forum, Blogs, Petitions, All Government electronic transactions)

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The new face of the National Portal www.nigeria.gov.ng...Cont’d.

The Administration (The Jonathan Administration)

Issues (All Government Sectors)

Media (Document, Speeches, Policy Statements, Photos, Videos, News, Archive, Newsfeed)

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Other features of the National Portal

Provision for near instantaneous dissemination of information on Nigeria news, concepts and initiatives to selected target audiences.

Provision for any stakeholder to retrieve accurate and up-to-date information from around the world on Nigeria.

Provision for a one-stop resource portal for information on Nigeria, and aggregate the numerous on-going reform initiatives of the Federal Government for its dispersed stakeholders communities

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Provision for effective search engine/search engine registration.

Provision for opportunities to communicate special bulletins such as news highlights on Nigeria, press releases and special communication on Federal Government's position on topical matters.

Provision for content mirroring.

Provision for video streaming and discussion or online chat forum, e.g. Town hall meetings.

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Facebook Page YouTube Page

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1.5. DOMESTIC PUBLICITY:

The Ministry designed special campaigns:

In the period under review, the Ministry recorded appreciable impact, among which are the following:

Promotion of Made-in-Nigeria Goods

Support from the World Bank in the campaign to eradicate Avian Flu in Nigeria

1.5.1. SPECIAL CAMPAIGNS

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DOMESTIC PUBLICITY: SPECIAL CAMPAIGNS…Cont’d.

Sensitization programme: The Great Greenwall Programme (GGW).

In line with the agreement reached at the National Council for Shelter and Afforestation, held in February 2013 in the Vice President’s Conference Room, State House, Abuja, the Federal Ministry of Information has commenced sensitization/awareness campaign on the important environmental issues relating to drought and desertification and also mobilizing all relevant stakeholders in the implementation of the programme in the frontline States i.e. Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Katsina, Yobe, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara and Jigawa states.

111

DOMESTIC PUBLICITY: SPECIAL CAMPAIGNS…Cont’d.

112

Deregulation of the Down Stream Sector of the Oil Industry

The Ministry, prior to the oil subsidy crises, developed a comprehensive multi-media strategy to sell the policy to the public.

The Ministry was confronted with a crisis management situation when the policy took off on January 1, 2012, and had to deal with the challenges through the following initiatives:

Toured major media houses to explain the policy and seek their cooperation on public enlightenment.

Organized town hall meetings to explain the benefits of the policy.

113

Deregulation of the Down Stream Sector of the Oil Industry…Cont’d. Facilitated appearances on media platforms by

various Ministers and the CBN Governor to present the issue in favour of deregulation to the public.

FRCN and NTA produced and aired enlightenment jingles on deregulation benefits.

Organized interactive discussion programmes on NTA on the Policy and engaged in exchange of ideas and debates with the youths through the social media.

114

Deregulation of the Down Stream Sector of the Oil Industry…Cont’d.

In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Transport the Ministry organized a Stakeholders meeting in Lagos to seek support for the deregulation policy.

Using the multi-media approach, the Ministry was able to change the perception about deregulation among the people favourably, even though there was opposition to its timing.

115

1.5.2. SECURITY AWARENESS In collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Ministry launched a national peace and security campaign to sensitize Nigerians on the challenges posed by increasing acts of terrorism and insecurity.

Convened Emergency National Council on Information where Stakeholders took specific steps for public enlightenment and mobilization against terrorism and criminality. The collaboration led to the establishment of Public Security Awareness Committees by State Governments.

116

Ensured that campaign messages on security reached the grassroots through State broadcasting stations, particularly in the Northern States. Private media also joined the campaign against terror. Some newspapers, e.g. The Guardian dedicated weekly pages to security issues.

117

SECURITY AWARENESS…Cont’d.


As a result of the campaign, Nigerians became more security conscious. Churches, mosques, motor parks, and airports, hotels, hospitals and other public places accordingly beefed up security measures.

In recognition of the large following Hausa service broadcast of foreign radio stations have in Northern Nigeria, the Ministry reached out to these stations through interviews and participation in their popular news and current affairs programmes to enlighten listeners in the North on the dangers of terrorism and insecurity on the development of the region.

118


This helped to sensitise the people of the North, and largely isolated terror groups which seek to use the media to either divide the public or cause fear or panic through threat messages and violent attacks on innocent citizens.

The Federal Ministry of Information disseminated messages showing clearly how terror groups were destroying economic and social progress in Northern Nigeria. This turned most people in the region against the activities of terror groups.

119

SECURITY AWARENESS…Cont’d. The Ministry's consistent messaging, to a large

extent, contributed to diffusing Boko Haram's objective of causing religious acrimony between Christians and Muslims, and between the North and the South.

This approach completely undermined the deception promoted by the group that their terror campaign was to promote Islam or the interest of the North. As a result of the vigorous publicity campaigns, elders, political parties, community and opinion leaders in the North were galvanised to speak out against Boko Haram. 120


Peace Building and Crisis Communication initiatives were also made through the Ministry which facilitated access to media platforms for youth groups striving to promote dialogue and peaceful co-existence in the North. The youth wings of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama'atul Nasri Islam (JNI) started to work with the Ministry to promote Christian-Muslim dialogue against terrorism. 121


The Ministry started a pilot programme for peace in Jos in partnership with Civil Society Organizations, and Faith-based groups to facilitate dialogue/reconciliation between warring communities, in order to promote understanding, reconciliation, amity and peace for sustainable restoration of normalcy to Jos and its environs.

122

SECURITY AWARENESS…Cont’d. The Ministry built on the example of communities

such as Dadin Kowa and Maiyango Low-Cost in Jos, which came together in the wake of the ethnic and sectarian crisis in Jos, to resist the spread of crisis to these areas. For ten years, they stood out successfully against extremism and hatred in their communities. The Ministry worked to export this model community’s wisdom and cooperation to other areas in Jos and other parts of Northern Nigeria and the nation as a whole.

123


The Ministry's campaign for peaceful co-existence in Jos, Plateau State, was in collaboration with some Non-Governmental Organisations under the auspices of “Citizens Action for Peace”. Under this campaign, a network of peace practitioners was formed and its members trained in Jos.

124


Various items promoting peace on the Plateau were printed such as Caps, T-shirts, Flyers, Posters and Pamphlets.

Radio and Television jingles on peaceful co-existence in Plateau State were produced. The jingles are still running on NTA Jos and Highland FM, Jos.

The Pilot Peace Project in Jos would be replicated in other communities in the North to foster unity through joint action to prevent crisis and build peace based on mutual trust, confidence and vigilance against extremism and criminality.

125


NTA and FRCN also produced several jingles on peace and security, which were aired on television and radio stations.

Other activities involving security issues include the Ministry's collaboration with BEN TV based in United Kingdom to publicize the efforts in Nigeria to fight terror and crime. BEN TV organized a forum in London for Nigerians in Diaspora where the Federal Ministry of Information provided details of efforts to stabilize the situation.

126

SECURITY AWARENESS…Cont’d. To sustain the media campaign on security, contact

was made with the Office of the National Security Adviser for the 2nd phase of the security campaign to promote security consciousness and awareness in the public domain. A programme was also developed for the 2nd phase of the Security Awareness Campaign.

The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) in its quest to promote unity and peaceful co-existence in Plateau State collaborated with the State Government to produce documentary films for the State titled – “Drums of the Plateau”, “The Home of Vegetables”, “Plateau the Peaceful”.

127

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS 1.6. FEDERAL RADIO CORPORATION OF NIGERIA (FRCN)

The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) is the largest radio network in Africa with 32 FM Stations located across the country. In fulfilling its mandate, the Corporation has continued to provide a platform for grassroots participation in governance. FRCN broadcasts in English and 15 local languages estimated to reach over 120 million listeners daily.

FRCN Enugu 128

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. FRCN zonal stations in Kaduna, Ibadan and Enugu

regularly host government functionaries for live audience participation programmes in Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa. The programmes provide a forum for contribution of Nigerians to the governance process across the six geopolitical zones.

FRCN has increased the number of public accountability programmes in its local and network. These include Radio Link, One-on-One, Issues of the Moment, Play of the Week, and Perspectives.

129

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d.

The Corporation has also introduced people - oriented network programmes such as Eagle Square; know your Right, Platform Africa and This Week Network Africa which features Ministers in interactive sessions with the public every week. From 2011 – 2013, the Corporation added three national stations:

130


S/N Zonal Stations Location Broadcast Language

1 South South Yenagoa English, Izon, Urhobo, Efik, Edo

and Igbo

2 North Central Makurdi English, Tiv, Igala, Nupe, Hausa

and Berom

3 North East Maiduguri English, Hausa, Kanuri and

Fulfulde

131

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. FRCN News and Programmes are being streamed on-

line on social media networks, as well as on mobile applications such as ipads, iphone, androids etc, while the Corporation’s newly sourced Tieline (codec & commander), satellite phone, Google plus contributed immensely to the successful coverage of Ministerial Platform and National Good Governance Tour.

To strengthen its manpower potentials, the Corporation has trained 914 of its staff in core operational areas such as Radio Journalism, Presentation, Production, Engineering, Studio Management and Marketing. 132

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. 1.7. Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)

The organization completed the upgrade, refurbishment, installation, and delivery of Broadcast equipment of the 9metre earth station at the National Stadium, Abuja. Purchase of 6nos High Definition OB Vans; Supply of 6nos Flyaway Satellite News Gathering (SNG) equipment and Upgrade of editing facilities and other broadcast equipment at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) from standard to high definition.

133


NTA E-Library, Abuja. NTA/StarTimes Studio, Abuja.

134


Completion of 4 community Stations: NTA Argungu, Akwanga, Oturkpo and Ankpa. These Stations commenced full transmission to their respective local audience in December 2011.

NTA is now positioned for High Definition Broadcasts and signal distribution to guest broadcasters.

135


NTA Corporate Head Office, Abuja location of NTA stations nationwide

136


• The Authority employed 785 new staff for its 30 new community stations that have been opened for operations.

• NTA-STARTIMES completed its Stations in 15 new centres, namely, Kano, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Benin, Onitsha, Aba, Uyo, Enugu, Sokoto, Jos, Makurdi, Ilorin, Yola and Sokoto. This has brought the total number to 17. Asaba and its environs receive signal from Onitsha.

137


Location of 15 new NTA/Startimes centres established in 2013

138


• NTA-STARTIMES have introduced mobile television service to portable handset such as mobile phone, MP4, GPS and other small electronic devices. NTA - STARTIMES mobile subscribers can now watch 12 digital television channels which include news, movies, entertainment, sports, etc.

139


Abuja-Up-link to Satellite Abuja-Monitoring System

140

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. The channels on NTA-STARTIMES have increased from 42

in December 2011 to 58 in January 2013. These are divided into three bouquets, namely, Basic, Classic and Unique.

The PAY TV sector of the economy used to be the preserve of the rich but the introduction of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) has made ordinary citizens of Nigeria have an opportunity at an affordable rate to have access to multiplicity of local and global channels.

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between NTA and Star Communications of China has brought capital inflow into the Nigerian economy and enabled the Federal Government to save funds for other national priority projects.

141


NTA/StarTimes Lagos-Mushin Business Hall

Lagos-Up-link Satellite

142


1.8. NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA (NAN)

The News Agency of Nigeria has expanded its editorial operations with the creation of more desks, including Education, Gender, Health, Tourism and Judiciary, in addition to the existing General News Service (GNS), Economic News Service (ECONEWS), Sports News Service (NANSPORTS), NANFEATURES, NAN-PHOTO Service and Multimedia service.

NAN’s clients increased from less than 100 to 250 this year aside the clients for NAN mobile (SMS) service¸ NAN PR-wire, NAN Photo, NAN On-line advertising, NANweb News.

143


From a text only Agency at inception in 1978, NAN has, since 2007, become a multi-media organization which now provides audio and video news clips for more than 50 radio and television stations across the country. This has greatly boosted the broadcast contents of the nation’s electronic media.

The daily production of audio and video clips has been greatly aided by the construction of an ultra-modern recording studio at its Abuja corporate headquarters and the huge investment in Information Technology (IT) has now assured the Agency a seamless editorial operation.

144


Although the Agency planned replicating the current studio facility in Abuja at Lagos, Bauchi, Kaduna, Enugu, Jos and Port Harcourt in the period under review, it could only commence work on the Lagos office studio which is now completed.

The Agency has recorded more than 450% rise in its General News Service (GNS) output from an average of 250 local and foreign stories or 50,000, words daily by 2011, to 300 stories or 60,000 words per day in the first quarter of 2013, and an average daily output of 80 digital colour photo news to print-media clients in 2013.

145

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. The Agency has increased the daily news content of the

nation’s print media from 30% in 2011 to 40% in 2013. Also 35% of the daily news content of the nation’s broadcast (radio) is from the Agency. NAN now puts out between 10-15 voice clips as compared to 7-8 in 2011. It maintains skeletal video service to selected television stations and provides audio services to radio stations in addition to text service.

An increase in annual Internally Generated Revenue from N68m in 2011 to N91.4m as at October 31, 2012 and N29.1m was recorded in the first quarter of 2013.

The Agency completed the renovation/upgrading of office buildings in Enugu, Umuahia, Benin, Kaduna, and Bauchi States – in addition to completion of more than 14 state offices and a Media Studio and Cafeteria in Lagos NAN office.

146


It has also opened two additional offices in Nigeria, bringing the number to a total of twelve for effective rural coverage.

News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) locations nationwide

147

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. 1.9. NIGERIAN FILM CORPORATION

The Federal Government is committed to the sustained development of the film industry and the promotion of the role of Nollywood, Kannywood and Yoruwood to reflect better technical output and high quality films which will project Nigeria’s cultural values and the image of Africans at home and in the Diaspora.

148


The Nigerian Film Corporation collaborated with the Plateau State Government, to produce three (3) documentaries and three (3) film fillers. The documentaries were meant to promote the State as a tourist destination while film fillers were on peace and security. The titles of the films are as follows: (i) Documentaries: Drums of the Plateau’, Plateau the Home of Vegetables’, Plateau the Beautiful’ (ii) Film Fillers on Peace and Security: “We lost it all’, ‘Dem Say Dem Say’, and ‘Watchman’.

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1.10. VOICE OF NIGERIA

Level of listenership worldwide: With the commissioning of the VON ultra-modern transmitting station at Lugbe, Abuja, equipped with 3N0, 250KW super power digital transmitters, one rotatable antenna and two fixed curtain antennae – the biggest in Africa and the ONLY one in Sub-Saharan Africa, VON can now cover every part of the world in crisp clear digital quality signals way ahead of the 2015 digital migration deadline. Listeners’ feedback through letters, emails, website visit counter, physical visits etc. are being received.

150


2.0. BUILDING A POSITIVE NATIONAL IMAGE AND PROMOTING NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Enhancing Nigeria’s global reputation by projecting the country’s cultural and socio-economic development can be achieved using information as a powerful tool to promote a positive national image and improved national consciousness.

To realize this objective, a series of initiatives have been deployed to address the fundamental issue of how Nigeria is perceived as a country and how Nigerians are perceived as a people.

151

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. Achievements The Ministry continued to encourage both public and private

media to promote the campaign on patronizing Made in Nigeria Products in order to sustain employment in local industries.

The Federal Ministry of Information also grants interviews on the weekly Hausa programmes of international radio stations such as BBC, VOA, Radio France International, Radio Deutsche Welle, and Radio Nigeria Kaduna to report all decisions of the Federal Executive Council in Hausa language to the Hausa foreign correspondents as these groups of correspondents have very wide listenership within the country and the West Africa sub-region.

152

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. NAN re-opened two foreign offices in Abidjan and Addis

Ababa in addition to those in London, Johannesburg, and New York. These offices have impacted positively on the image of the country as they covered the A.U, U.N and other activities of international and Diplomatic importance to the country.

The Agency entered into news sharing agreement with the German News Agency (DPA) on May 16, 2012, in addition to the agreements with Reuters, AFP, XINHUA, PANA and the Italian news agency, AGI.

NTA opened two new international news bureaux in Germany and China, bringing the total number of news bureaux to seven. The other bureaux are in London – United Kingdom, Washington D.C. – United States of America, Ottawa – Canada, Accra – Ghana, Cairo – Egypt.

153

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. 2.0.1. Nigerian Film Corporation

The Nigerian Film industry, as represented by Nollywood, Kannywood and Yorowood, is perhaps the single biggest positive story from Nigeria to the World in the last 20 years. The industry mainly driven by sector initiatives has grown rapidly under the guidance of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to the 2nd largest in the world in terms of output.

The image of Nigeria and its people looms large across Africa, the Carribean, the USA and the rest of the world as a result of the growth in popularity of Nollywood.

154

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. Since assumption of office, President Dr. Goodluck Ebele

Jonathan identified the Film Industry for support. The President through the Nigerian Export - Import (NEXIM) Bank provided 200miilion Dollars for the industry which is domiciled in the Bank of Industry (BOI). The Nigerian Film Corporation is collaborating with the Bank for the purpose of accessing funds for the Nigerian film industry.

During the period under review, meetings were held to discuss the modalities for the collaborative effort which will culminate in the signing of an MOU between the two establishments.

155

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. In close collaboration with the NFVCB, the NFC made

significant progress during the period, on the draft policy/legal instruments meant to strategically reposition the Nigerian film industry and make it globally competitive. The draft policy/legal instruments were submitted to the Federal Executive Council Secretariat in preparation for the Honourable Minister of Information’s presentation at the Federal Executive Council meeting. They are as follows:

– The Establishment of a Motion Picture Council of Nigeria (MOPICON)

– National Film Development Fund (NFDF)

– National Film Village Development (NFVD)

– Reviewed (1992) National Film Policy for Nigeria

– Reviewed Nigerian Film Corporation Act and Change of Name to Nigerian Film Commission. 156


Hitherto, several Ministerial Technical Committees were set up to work on issues affecting the Nigerian film industry. The Reports of the Committees which were submitted to the Government, were harmonized and fine-tuned while the draft Bills have were vetted by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The Nigerian Film Corporation represented the country in a three-day meeting which held in Niamey, Niger Republic and was organized by the African Union Commission to examine and review the documentation of the Feasibility Study and a draft Terms of Reference, for the purpose of establishing the African Film Commission (APC).

157

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. The Nigerian Film Corporation during the period under

review, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on the 9th of June, 2011. Consequently, the two agencies, jointly organized a Business Entrepreneurial Training Workshop for stakeholders in the Kano and Lagos zones.

The objective of the collaboration was to help establish sustainable small and medium scale enterprises through the provision of entrepreneurial training to the practitioners in the Nigerian film industry.

158


Also in furtherance to the collaborative effort, the Corporation forwarded the Business Plans of 13 practitioners to the Agency for onward submission to NERFUND. This was to enable them access funds for their productions.

The Corporation supported a few practitioners in the industry both technically and financially during the period. This was in spite of its financial constraints. In all, 10 industry practitioners benefitted from the technical and financial support.

In line with the on-going re-organization/restructuring exercise, the Corporation successfully relocated its office from the National Theater Annex, Iganmu, to its newly acquired, renovated and furnished office at Ikoyi, Lagos.

159


The NFC organized the 6th edition of the Zuma Film Festival to promote and market Nigerian films and motion industry within and outside the country, as well as reward excellence and creativity among practitioners. As a global brand, the Zuma Film Festival has witnessed steady growth with corresponding increase in high profile participation over the years.

160

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. The Film Corporation successfully carried out a

survey on selected areas of the film industry to complete the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Questionnaires on Feature Film Statistics, 2012. The objective of the survey on feature film statistics is to monitor global trends in selected areas of the film industry namely production, distribution and exhibition of feature and video films in Nigeria which is carried out biennially. A similar submission made to the Institute saw the Nigerian film industry being elevated to the second position after Bollywood of India in terms of the volume of films produced.

161


The NFC participated in several international film festivals and markets. These programmes were aimed at promoting and building a positive national image and reward excellence and creativity in the sector. The festivals and markets are:

Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles, California, USA, February 2012

Cannes International Film Festival (Marche du Film), France, May 2012

The Cannes International Film Festival was held from the 6th – 27th of May, 2012.

162

ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. The 2012 participation at the Cannes International Film

festival was unique as it witnessed inter-agency collaboration between the Corporation, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS). The tripartite partnership was geared towards stimulating co-production, enlightening participants about the Tax regime/incentives as well as eliciting direct investment in the film sector in Nigeria.

American Film Markets and Conferences, Santa Monica, California, USA, October 30 – November 07, 2012.

163


2.0.2 VOICE OF NIGERIA

Language of Broadcast - VON broadcasts in 8 Languages and is in the process of introducing Portuguese Service recently approved by Management. VON is working together with the Nigeria-Sao Tome & Principe Joint Commission and the Embassies of some Portuguese-speaking countries in Nigeria to employ the required manpower for the Portuguese service.

164


News exchange agreements/MOU with international agencies - In addition to the already existing Memorandum of Understanding between VON and RFI, Deutschewelle, Channel Africa; VON in now in the process of signing three more MOUs with Sarounniya FM Niger Republic, Noun FM and Benue FM in Cameroun.

165

The Station with its state-of-the-art transmitters and revolving antenna, represents the biggest single investment in radio broadcasting in Africa (in the last 20 years).


166

Complete Rotatable Antennae of VON at Lugbe, Abuja.

Commissioning of the Rotatable antennae in Lugbe, Abuja by the Vice President Arc. Namadi Sambo alongside the Minister

of Information. Mr. Labaran Maku and D.G. VON Alh. Abubakar Jijiwa


167


Nigeria is the 1st African country and the 7th in the world to acquire this sophisticated technology.

The Agency was recently elected into the executive Committee of the prestigious Association of International Broadcasters (AIB) and the first and only African broadcast stations to sit on the AIB Exco.

168


2.0.3 NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD

The Board has conducted 7 Road Shows locally in Lagos, Ibadan and Calabar (twice) and three internationally in the United Kingdom, Kenya and, Scotland.

A total of 672 films were received and verified out of which 403 films were approved by the Board in 2012.

169


During the period under review the Board issued 165 licences to exhibitors/distributors for the purpose of exhibition/distribution of films and video works.

Eight public enlightenment campaigns were carried out by the Operations Department of the Board to check the proliferation of pornographic materials.

170


The Board initiated and successfully organized its first Consumer Parliament, which is an interactive session where stakeholders in the industry gathered to pool ideas together, especially as regards the quality of films produced and how to improve on the performance of the Board.

Under the close supervision of the Board, the film industry has provided employment to millions of Nigerians as Cameramen, Directors and Producers of movies, Actors, Designers, lightening technicians etc.

171


The Board built and equipped a digital preview theater in Lagos.

172

Cinema/Preview Centre

173


The cinema-going culture has risen in the country. As a result, more cinemas are opening up. There are eighteen (18) registered cinemas in the country at present. One is expected to be commissioned soon in Akwa Ibom and will bring the number to nineteen (19).

174


3.0. Providing an Effective Regulatory Environment for the Media and Allied Industry

The main responsibility of government in growing the economy is to create a legal framework that encourages investment and competition. The Ministry is evolving defined standards in the media and allied industry to effectively monitor and regulate an environment that encourages investment and the observance of best practice.

175


3.0.1. National Broadcasting Commission

Monitoring of stations: The Commission carried out effective monitoring of broadcast stations in 2012. Consequently, breaches were detected and erring stations sanctioned. In all, breaches reduced tremendously in the 10 zones of the Commission. Analyses of first, second and third quarters Monitoring Reports showed substantial compliance by broadcast stations with the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. There is thus a reduction of breaches by 33%.

176


Local Content: Following the local content policy enforced by the Commission, the family belt hour has paved way for the production of more local content in the broadcast industry. The result is that the critical family belt is completely Nigerian. Also key is that it has created opportunities for local entrepreneurs and creative artistes to be meaningfully employed.

177


Spectrum control (Enforcement, Inspection and Monitoring): The Commission operates and maintains three Mobile Vans with IT–based spectrum analysers for AM, VHF and UHF signals. This is to monitor and enforce compliance with broadcast standards. The Commission has also acquired SMS4DC (Spectrum Management System for Developing Countries). Multiplexing, amplification and redistribution of MMDS, DTH and terrestrial TV signals for monitoring within the office in the headquarters and the Zonal offices has been carried out. The Commission also resolved cases of interference among stations.

178


Volicon Monitoring Equipment: To ensure proper recording and retrieval of programmes, Volicon digital monitoring and recording equipment were installed in four zones and headquarters, while work on six zones is ongoing. This is to facilitate monitoring of broadcast stations across the country for 24 hours daily.

179


Processing of applications for broadcast licence: Currently, the Commission processes only applications for Radio Broadcast Licence. This is due to the on-going transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcast. Applications for Television Broadcast Licence will only be entertained after switch over in 2015.

Frequency Assignments: Frequencies were assigned to some licenced FM Radio operators.

181


Also the Commission carried out pre-commissioning inspection of broadcast stations - Silverbird TV, Abuja; GOTEL FM, Yola; Orange FM, Akure; Murhi Television and Star FM, Ibadan; Lagos Traffic Radio, Lagos; Details Mobile TV, Lagos; Vibes FM, Benin; ESBS, Ihiebre; Liberty FM, Kaduna; Galaxy Television, Akure; and Babcock Campus FM, Ilesan-Remo. It equally carried out pre-commissioning inspection of Campus Radio Stations, in addition to the inspection of facilities for Campus Radio in higher institutions of learning wishing to apply for Campus Radio FM licence.

182


Use of National language on Broadcast Stations: The Commission developed a template for census on languages of broadcast in stations in Nigeria. This is to assist in encouraging the use of indigenous languages in broadcast stations in the country.

Stations audit: To actualize the Commission’s plans of having a comprehensive data of all the stations in Nigeria including the status of the stations, the Commission successfully audited stations in Ibadan and Benin zones. The report showed that many stations did not satisfy the basic code requirements on News, Children programming and off-air recording. This will be followed by audit of stations in Kaduna and Sokoto zones. Zones in Abuja, Uyo, Lagos and Enugu have already been audited.

183


The National Broadcasting Commission has ensured that the principles of political broadcasting are strictly adhered to in terms of equity, fairness and balance in the coverage of political parties through jingles on radio and television. At present, the Commission is organizing workshops, seminars and stakeholders meetings in preparation for the 2015 elections. This would go a long way in elevating the integrity of future elections in the country.

184


The 6th edition of the Broadcasting Code was ratified by Stakeholders in the broadcast industry in Uyo in 2012 and copies made available to every broadcasting station in Nigeria and the general public.

Monitoring of Stations - The Commission carried out effective monitoring of broadcast stations in period under review. Consequently, breaches were detected and erring stations sanctioned. In all, breaches reduced tremendously in the 10 zones of the Commission.

185


3.0.2. Nigerian Press Council

Inventory of newspapers and magazines: The Council by law carries out documentation of newspapers in the country. An inventory survey was conducted across the country, revealing 294 Newspapers and 129 magazines.

186

Some Nigerian daily newspapers Scanning newspapers with WideTek 36 DS

187


Fostering Ethical and Professional Standards: The Council from its daily monitoring of newspapers and magazines creates a quarterly breach profile from which it determines the level of compliance of journalists with the Code of Ethics, to improve the regulatory environment.

188

Nigerian Press Council Library, Abuja

189


Protecting the Rights and Privileges of Journalists in the Lawful Performance of their Duties: Council intervenes by written letters to security outfits and political entities in clashes with journalists. Council advises against recourse to extrajudicial methods or actions, so as not to inhibit the press in the performance of its lawful duties of monitoring governance.

190


Resolution of Complaints: Council uses the direct resolution mechanism in acting on complaints it receives on newspaper publications bordering on perceived infractions of ethics, falsehood and malice. This process enables Council to achieve a workable resolution of such complaints by aggrieved parties. Council handled 12 such complaints in 2012.

191


3.0.3. Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria

APCON monitors and supervises sales promotion programmes of companies with a view to ensuring that they do not exploit consumers or deceive them in any way. By the end of the first quarter 2013, a total of 10,041 adverts and promotions were vetted.

192


Illegal Practitioners: A total of one hundred and sixty four (164) names have been identified so far. Out of these names, the first and second letters of warning and calls to regularize had been written to ninety-five (95) persons. A total of forty-six (46) names were forwarded to the Police for enforcement. Some of the names were cleared because they have the Nigerian Institute of Marketing Certification. Some of the identified persons have also complied by purchasing the Executive Professional Examination forms and writing the qualifying examinations. Others also enrolled for APCON’s professional Diploma in Advertising programme.

193

High-rise Enforcement Hydraulic Crane of APCON Monitoring and Enforcement Trucks of APCON

194


Certification of advertising courses and inspection of facilities in 8 selected tertiary institutions.

BON/APCON Round Table Conference held to sensitize the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria on the need to be conversant with the provisions of the Code of Advertising Practice and Sales Promotion, as well as seek co-operation in promoting compliance.

195

APCONs’ Code of Advertising Practice.

196


Sectoral collaboration/workshops which discussed emerging professional practice/social issues and their consequences.

The Council registered a total number of 921 advertising practitioners within the period under review.

197


4.0. PRESERVATION OF NIGERIA’S ARCHIVAL HERITAGE

Under the provisions of the National Archives Act of 1992, the National Archives of Nigeria serves as an information bank and is mandated to locate, assemble and rationalize the documentary source material of the country and preserve them permanently for research and other purposes.

It also restores and preserves historical records through conservation activities.

198


4.0.1. National Archives

Preservation of all archives in its Repositories nationwide. 10,000 endangered records repaired.

Survey of records created by all records creating agencies for the acquisition of all archival materials adjudged worthy of permanent preservation. In 2012, a total of 50,000 records acquired from different agencies with visits to 100 Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

199


Training of Departmental Records Management Officers in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies as provided by law. In 2012, 120 Records Officers service-wide were trained in records and Archives Administration.

Automation/Digitization: Federal Gazettes from 1920 to 1990 were automated while some record groups in the repositories were digitized within the period under review to ensure security of the original materials and to make them more accessible.

200


4.0.2. National Film and Videos Censors Board

The NFVCB successfully digitized about 18,000 copies of movies from VHS to DVD copies, thus facilitating the preservation of Nigeria’s archival heritage.

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4.0.3. Nigerian Film Corporation During the period under review, the National

Film, Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA) of NFC acquired 59 items comprising films (40) and other related materials such as books (1), journals (4) and posters (14) for preservation in the Archive. These materials were acquired through donations.

The NFC also succeeded in acquiring and installing an Automated Shelving System for preservation at the Archive.

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5.0. PROVISION OF POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES The Ministry is also involved in the provision of policy and administrative services for the smooth and efficient running of the Information Sector. It does this by initiating policies through the National Council on Information and hosting of stakeholders interactions. Regular meetings of National Council on

Information (NCI)

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ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. PROVISION OF POLICY AND ADMINISTRATIVE

SERVICES…Cont’d.

Adoption of National Good Governance Tour by the NCI in Calabar, 2011.

Adoption of Campaign Against Terrorism at the NCI in Abuja, 2011.

Coordination of information across the three levels of government.

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5.0.1. STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT

The Ministry held its 43rd National Council on Information (NCI) with the theme “Information Management for Good Governance and National Transformation” from the 12th-13th December 2012 where it resolved after exhaustive deliberations, as follows: that the National Good Governance Tour is an effective way of showcasing efforts of government at all levels and encouraged States to support the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Information.

That States be encouraged to implement the Freedom of Information Act.

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ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT…Cont’d.

That Federal and State Ministries of Information should further collaborate and intensify public enlightenment on environmental challenges and national security. In this regard, States are encouraged to vote funds for public enlightenment while designs of specific strategies and publications are made available for implementation by the Federal and State Ministries of Information.

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States Delegates at the 43rd National Council on Information, Abuja. Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni

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NUJ President Comrade Mohammed Garba, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku and other dignitaries at the 2012 Colloquium on Peace and National Security organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja Council.

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ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT…Cont’d.

Advocacy meetings organized by the Advocacy Unit of the Ministry on International Convention issues and Government policies relating to Population, Gender, Women and Child Rights in collaboration with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).

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5.0.2. Other activities include: Meeting with the National Union of Textile, Garment

and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria to devise strategy for promoting the use of Made-in-Nigeria fabrics among Nigerians. As a follow-up to the meeting, the Federal Ministry of Information mounted a media campaign to sensitize Nigerians on the national economic benefits of buying Made-in-Nigeria goods. A statement was released, advising Ministries, Department and Agencies to patronise Made-in-Nigeria goods as a matter of policy priority.

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ACHIEVEMENTS OF PARASTATALS…Cont’d. Other activities include:..Cont’d

Meeting with management of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons where the Federal Ministry of Information and NAPTIP agreed to collaborate in the fight against human trafficking through advocacy and capacity building.

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Delivered a lecture to officers from the directorate level in the public, private and security services at the Institute of Security Studies, Bwari, Abuja, on ‘Perception Management and the Transformation Agenda” where the Honourable Minister argued that the consistent implementation of the Transformation Agenda would change the perception of Nigerians towards the Jonathan Administration.

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Cross-section of participants at the International Security Conference on Africa in London

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Nigeria Press Council partnered with UNESCO to organize a one day seminar for the Press Freedom day with the theme “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in all Media on May 2, 2013.

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WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATION IN ABUJA: Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku (L), with the Head, EU Delegation To Nigeria And ECOWAS, Amb. David Macrae, At the 2013 World Press Freedom Day Celebration

in Abuja.

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Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku in the studio of BBC World Service in London

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Minister of Information Mr. Labaran Maku interacting with the BBC Hausa Service

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Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku addressing Nigerians in New York City on the occasion to mark Nigeria's 52nd Independence Anniversary organized by Nigerians in America.

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Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Prof. Joy Ogwu, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US Prof. Ade

Adefuye, UN Special Adviser on Post 2015 Development Planning, Mrs. Amina Az-Zubair and other dignitaries at Nigeria’s 52nd Independence

Anniversary Parade in New York

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Prof. Joy Ogwu, Information Minister Mr. Labaran Maku, Nigeria’s

Ambassador to the US Prof. Ade Adefuye, UN Special Adviser on Post 2015 Development Planning, Mrs. Amina

Az-Zubair and other dignitaries at Nigeria’s 52nd Independence Anniversary Parade in New York

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The NFVCB held 10 interactive sessions with its stakeholders including the sessions held in Glasgow and India, after the film festivals in the two countries.

“Alcohol Marketing and Marketing Communications Summit” was organized by APCON in collaboration with Beer Sectoral Group (BSG) and International Centre for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) to sensitize stakeholders on Advertising Rules and Regulations.

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NTA TV Enterprises promoted foreign investments via collaboration with African Business Forum to host New York Investment Summit. It also collaborated with the Ministry of National Planning and the Ministry of Trade & Investment to host the 2nd NTA London Investment Forum and Exhibition focusing on Concessionary projects and franchise opportunities in 2013. It is partnering with Guaranty Trust Bank to commercialize NTA Business Centres via conversion to e-banking gallery and business centres.

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POLICY

National Broadcasting Commission

Broadcast Policy: The Commission is updating and producing a clean draft of the Broadcast Policy document. Inputs are still being received.

The Nigeria Broadcasting Code: During the period under review, the Commission embarked on the production of the 6th edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, the working document produced in consultation with industry stakeholders. The document was edited, printed and now being circulated.

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TRAINING

A one-day workshop on Freedom of Information Act

2011 jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Information, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja on December 11, 2012. The workshop was attended by 386 stakeholders including participants from the Ministry, journalists, civil society organizations, lawyers, etc, with the objective of enlightening participants on the provisions of the FOI Act and enhancing their capacity to deal with issues arising from and relating to the Act.

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National Broadcasting Commission

To ensure that all stations are adequately educated on the provisions of Phone-in programmes, the Commission in November 2012 held a national workshop on phone-in programmes. Before then, a training retreat for Monitoring officers to ensure that stations do not commit breaches, particularly in some key areas such as hyping, trado-medical adverts, political adverts, was held at Ada, Osun State.

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Participants at the Broadcasting & Social Responsibility Workshop 2013 organised by

NBC in Katsina.

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National Broadcasting Commission…Cont’d.

To ensure improved political reporting, a proposal for partnership with INEC for the training of political reporters and editors was designed and approved for 2013.

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Nigerian Film Corporation

In 2012, the National Film Institute, which is

the training arm of the Corporation, successfully graduated twenty-three (23) Degree students in Bachelor of Film Arts and sixty-five (65) Diploma students in National Innovative Diploma. Both programmes are approved by NUC and NBTE respectively.

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Nigerian Film Corporation… Cont’d

The Institute successfully matriculated 142

students (Diploma, 98 and Degree, 44) on the 30th of August, 2012.

Twenty-four (24) candidates were admitted for the Diploma programmes while fifteen (15) were given admission into the Degree programme for the 2012/2013 academic session.

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National Film and Video Censors Board

Specialized Training and Software Development: The Board is the only classification Board that develops its programme software for classification processes and following this, initiated specialised IT processes training for personnel.

Gave global exposure to industry practitioners via strategic exposures and training at National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru, as well as in London and Los Angeles.

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Nigerian Television Authority

The Nigerian Television College – an affiliate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduated degree and diploma students in 2012. For the first time in ABU, a degree student from the college made a First Class Honours in Mass Communication. One of the students in the college won the Africast award for the best documentary. The college also organized short courses in: Basic Television Journalism; Non-Linear Editing; Basic Presentation and On-line Journalism within the period under review.

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Digitization of the Broadcast Industry

The White Paper on the Report of the

Presidential Advisory Committee set up in 2007 was approved in May 2012. Already, satellite broadcasters, cable operators and all MMDS (microwave multipoint distributing system) operators do digital transmission.

The NTA, through its partner Startimes, now does digital Terrestrial transmission in sixteen cities including Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Kaduna.

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Digitization of the Broadcast Industry…Cont’d.

The Commission successfully organized hitch-free transition workshops for all stations across the country in 8 out of its 10 zones. The Presidential Committee on analogue – digital transition is in full gear and has articulated an implementation strategy for the actualization of the transition programme.

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A Digi Team to oversee the transition was inaugurated in December, 2012. This will lead to the licensing of a new signal carrier and set-top boxes manufacture.

The Digi Team will, among other things, work out modalities for the splitting of broadcast services into Broadcast Content Provision and Broadcast Signal Distribution, as well as the conditions for the operations of the Broadcast Signal Distributors.

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The National Broadcasting Commission successfully

organized Africast 2012, the biennial Conference of African broadcasters which held in Abuja. In line with the digitization process, the Conference was dedicated to Content for Digital Broadcasting. About 32 exhibitors participated while over 300 persons from the industry attended.

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GENERAL CONSTRAINTS

With the reduced allocation for overhead costs, the Ministry is constantly being confronted with serious challenges in meeting its operational expenses. The Ministry is also confronted with financial challenges in effectively managing its over 54 Federal Information Centres and National Archives Offices.

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GENERAL CONSTRAINTS…Cont’d.

In the light of the above, it is essential that adequate recurrent funds for the operational needs of the Ministry in the years ahead are provided for the Ministry to positively make impact and proactively portray the good image of the Government and its performance in various sectors of the National economy.

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CHALLENGES

The Nigerian Press Council (NPC) is locked in legal battle over its powers to impose sanctions on erring press organizations. However, the Ministry is supporting the NPC to push through legislation in the National Assembly that will empower it to tackle some of the abuses in the print media.

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LOOKING AHEAD

The reopening of Nigeria Information Centres in Nigerian Missions, to coordinate the external publicity of Nigeria, its people and potentials to enhance our nation’s reputation and attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country.

Vigorous and sustained publicity for the country abroad, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

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LOOKING AHEAD…Cont’d.

Enlightening and mobilizing the citizenry to personalize, drive, and help realize Vision 20:2020, through a robust collaboration with the Ministry of National Planning.

Publication of Federal Government Calendars and Diaries, the Nigeria Monthly, the Federal Tenders Journal, and other sectoral publications of the Ministry.

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Completion of the Federal Government Press complex in Abuja, and the immediate publication of all outstanding Federal Government Gazettes and statutory publications.

Extensive multimedia domestic publicity of Government projects and programmes nationwide, including greater synergy with the MDAs in their media outreach activities.

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Intensify Publicity campaign to sensitize the public to be conscious of the security challenges and mobilize them to take measures that promote safety as well as co-operate with security agencies to combat terrorist acts.

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Upgrading NTA and NAN to the status of Aljazeera and Reuters respectively to enable the two agencies serve as the main source of news presenting the Afro-Centric perspective in the coverage of global events.

Improving the standard and quality of Nollywood productions.

Resumption of the National Good Governance Tour.

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CONCLUSION

The Federal Ministry of Information has repositioned itself to facilitate regular conversation between the government and stakeholders in the polity, to enhance citizens’ participation, and to defeat divisive tendencies, which often induce violence and tensions in the polity. The Ministry has also focused attention on the all-important issues of good governance, accountability, transparency and citizens’ participation in the governance process.

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CONCLUSION…Cont’d

The Transformation Agenda is the bedrock upon which priority policies, programmes and projects are being implemented, to ensure the growth and development of the Nigerian economy and to improve the living standards of the Nigerian people. Intensive sensitization and mobilization of the citizenry, through the deployment of robust communication strategies for effective publicity and public information management, is imperative for the implementation of the Agenda.

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Locations of proposed Nigeria Information Service Centres abroad.

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#MP2013 Presentation of the Minister of Information

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Transcript of #MP2013 Presentation of the Minister of Information