MIL Week: FG Urges Critical Evaluation, Media Content Usage 

As the world celebrates the Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week, the Federal Government has stressed the need for a critical evaluation and wise use of media information among information consumers.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, made the call during the Flag-off of the GMIL week in Abuja, Monday.
The global event themed “Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative” is being held in Nigeria from 24 to 31 October.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Mohammed noted that the theme of this year’s event was apt and timely as the world and its leaders contend with the challenge of identifying what is true and what is false in media content.
“As I ponder on the state of our world, the enormous challenge it faces, especially with unregulated use of social media and other digital platforms, I see the urgent need for every person to be equipped with the ability to critically evaluate and wisely use information at their disposal,” he said.
Mohammed expressed optimism on the outcome of the week-long event which he said would be geared towards building trust among societies and individuals through the use of media and Information literacy.
On the importance of the MIL Week, the Assistant Director-General of Communication and Information, UNESCO, Tawfik Jelassi, said “we do not want the new digital pipeline to be harmful for societies; we need to ensure that digital technology is used for public good.”
He noted that it is important to make citizens media and information literate in order for them to succeed in the digital age.
“This is important as digital platforms have become citizens’ primary sources of information.