From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has charged social media users to always portray Nigeria in a positive light in order to promote the dignity of the county globally.
The governor stated this while declaring open a one-day training workshop for social media practitioners in Kebbi held in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.
The workshop, which was organised by the Kebbi State Ministry of Information and Culture, was tagged: “One-Day Interactive Session on New Media Ethics and Practice”.
The governor said the social media community should try and promote a positive image of Nigeria, as opposed to negative posts that tarnish reputation of the country.
He recalled that during the #EndSARS unrest, many negative posts by social media users portrayed Nigeria in a bad light.
Governor Bagudu, extolling new media, noted that the innovation has come to stay.
The governor observed that technology and social media are changing the face of journalism globally.
In her speech, the Commissioner for information and Culture, Barrister Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, said that information dissimilation remained an important segment of educating and informing the public.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Garba Hamisu, stressed the need for practitioners to uphold good moral conduct in a descent and responsible manner.
She explained that the training was aimed at sensitising and updating the trainees on the use social media.
The commissioner advised the trainees to use the training to assist the present administration in publicising its policies and programmes.
Presenting papers separately, Prof Nura Ibrahim of Faculty of Communication, Bayero University Kano (BUK), and Alhaji Abdullahi El-Kurebe, a seasoned practicing journalist and blogger, said social media have changed patterns of life.
