By Simon Audu
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has commended the country’s independent broadcasters for their vital role in shaping and safeguarding the nation’s narrative, unity, and digital security.
Delivering his goodwill message at the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN), the Minister praised IBAN for choosing a theme he described as timely and central to Nigeria’s national priorities: “Broadcasting for Information Sovereignty, National Cohesion and Digital Security.”
Represented by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, Ambassador Tuggar said the theme aligns directly with Nigeria’s foreign policy direction.
According to him, “The ability of a nation to control its narrative, protect its digital integrity, and unite its citizens is no longer a soft power preference—it is a strategic imperative.”
The Minister emphasized that information sovereignty is now as critical as territorial sovereignty, hinging largely on Nigeria’s capacity to tell its own stories and counter “foreign-sponsored disinformation and cultural homogenisation.” He added that broadcasters who invest in authentic local content play a leading role in protecting this sovereignty.
He also underscored the media’s responsibility in promoting national cohesion, noting that with Nigeria’s population exceeding 230 million, the public airwaves constitute a “sacred trust.” Broadcasters, he said, must continue using their platforms to strengthen shared values, build unity, and bridge societal divides.
“The media can either close national gaps or widen them,” he warned.
Turning to digital security, Ambassador Tuggar cautioned that the same technologies enabling broad national and global reach also expose Nigeria to cyberattacks, influence operations, and data breaches. Securing broadcast systems, he stressed, is not just a technical task but a matter of national security. Any lapse, he said, could leave the entire country vulnerable.
He further noted that Nigeria’s international influence is strongly shaped by its domestic information environment.
“The narrative you build at home is the narrative we project abroad, and we cannot afford to fail in that regard,” he said.
The Minister called for deeper partnerships between government and broadcasters to defend Nigeria’s information ecosystem, counter misinformation, and preserve the country’s image.
He urged participants at the conference to view themselves as “essential partners in nation-building,” and wished IBAN a productive and impactful gathering.
