Borno: Youth parliament, ALGON to draft media action plan for implementation

The Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) in collaboration with the  Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has initiated a policy framework to develop a  media action plan in Borno state.

The Nigerian Youth Parliament, Borno State Caucus, in collaboration with ALGON, Borno, has also commenced media stakeholder consultations towards developing the Borno State Media Action Plan (2027–2031).

The Senator representing Borno North at the parliament, Miss Fatima Bukar Lamisula, said the initiative was discussed at a Media stakeholders’ technical alignment meeting held on Monday in Maiduguri, where participants examined practical approaches to strengthening media and information literacy across the state.

Lamisula, who presented the policy framework at the meeting, said the policies were divided into six thematic sections and designed to translate stakeholders’ experiences, evidence and proposed solutions into practical  reality as components of the five-year media action plan.

She noted that the policies would focus on identifying problems, issues, challenges and existing gaps, in order to come out with formidable development solutions for the youth, prioritise actions, make responsible decisions, timelines and measurable indicators.

According to her, the framework was built around five thematic areas, including misinformation, disinformation and for news or hate speech management and control towards peace building, positive narratives, instead of hate speech and extremist propaganda,  digital and media literacy for the youth and communities.

Other areas were responsible journalism, public information and strategic government communication, as well as community participation, civic information and sustainable media literacy systems.

Lamisula said the process would bring together representatives of government, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organisations, academics and concerned citizens.

She explained further that the stakeholder categories would provide perspectives on public policies, professional journalism, community needs, research, accountability, citizen participation and effective communication.

The Chairman, NUJ Borno State Council, Mr Abdulkareem Haruna, commended the Nigerian Youth Parliament for initiating the process, assuring the organisers of the union’s cooperation and support towards the successful development and implementation of the proposed action plan.

Similarly, Alhaji Ali Yaumi, representative of ALGON, expressed the association’s commitment to supporting the initiative, saying, the collaboration would contribute to the development of young people, the state and citizens, while promoting effective access to credible information and sustainable community development.