Month: August 2023

Prof. Zhang Yanqiu from the Communication University of China said on Thursday, that regulating online media contents would help in curbing fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

Yanqiu stated this in an interview with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), participating in a 14-day training in Beijing, China, tagged, “Seminar on News Media of Developing Countries.”

According to her, the need for content regulation for online media cannot be overemphasised especially in the world today where online media is fast growing.

“With different people putting out contents that can make or mar any country’s development.”

Yanqiu said: “Curbing fake news is very important and a necessity for checks and balances. Most of the challenges people, community, nations face can be attributed to fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

“We all know that each country now also faces the challenges of fake news; it’s a universal challenge.

“However, in China I think fake news is not a big deal, because we have a call regulation system and at the national level, we have a regulation/rule.

“This means that social media should follow our national regulation policy.

“This regulation is almost the same as the regulation for the traditional media, which means the media themselves should watch out for their own content.”

According to her, the users of these online platforms will also have the responsibility to watch and monitor the news contents or the information online.

“Whenever the users find some news improper, then they can complain and report to the regulatory bodies like we have National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA).

“There is a team of either the media or the government that will look after the issue. This is our regulation system.

“And I hope that the other countries will also consider that because without regulation, the fake news misinformation and disinformation is hard to combat,” she said.

Yanqiu also stated that just like how the military was dispatched to protect a nation’s land and borders, the internet space should also be protected and brought under control by regulating what goes in and out of it.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has partnered with Equality Development and Research Centre (EDR-centre), an NGO, to curb workplace bullying.

Mr Tony Ojukwu, the NHRC Executive Secretary, made this known when Ms Marshal Nwanne, Founder of the EDR-centre paid a visit to the commission in Abuja.

Ojukwu said that the commission is dedicated to combatting workplace bullying and envisioned to target and end all forms of inequality in Nigeria.

The executive secretary welcomed the partnership and expressed the hope that the two organisations would work together and achieve the desired result..

He said that there was no condition that justifies torture and described it as “one human rights violation” that have no justification.

“Indeed, bullying is not good and we have been preaching and fighting against it alone. Thank God today we have a partner in EDR Centre that is ready to work squarely on this area.

” We are going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with you, so that the work we are doing in this area would not only be in the Federal Capital but across the 36 states where the Commission have offices .

“Now that we are going to work together, I believe that very soon the society will feel the impact” he said.

He said that the first place to focus on would be the family, schools and other institutions among others.

According to him, Nigerians generally have been bullied to the extent that they have seen it as normal.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people are depressed, some have gone into mental torture because of one form of bullying or another” he said.

Earlier, Nwanne who appreciated the partnership with the commission, urged victims to speak up and not to keep silence.

She explained that it was worthwhile to stop the act of bullying, which she noted leads to depression mental torture and even death.

The founder wondered why the act of bullying goes on in the society without the culprits being brought to justice.

Nwanne called for a legislation to make perpetrators account for their actions.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

An Abuja High Court on Thursday fixed Aug. 23 for the arraignment of suspended Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele for alleged procurement fraud.

Emefiele was to be arraigned alongside Sa’adatu Yaro and her company, April1616 Investment Limited on 20 charges bordering on procurement fraud, conspiracy and conferring corrupt advantages on his associates.

The Federal Government alleged that the suspects procured an array of about 98 luxury vehicles and armoured buses, with an estimated total value of ?6.9 billion.

Justice Muazu Hamza, fixed the date after the counsel for Yaro told the court that his client was ill,

The prosecution did not oppose the prayer for adjournment.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Zhang Yanqiu of the Communication University of China,(CUC), Beijing, has charged African journalists to discontinue the excessive negative reportage about their countries.

Yanqiu, who is also the Director of Africa Communication Research Center at CUC, gave the charge in an interview with a Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday on the sidelines of the ongoing 14-day seminar in Beijing.

She said: “Every news reportage goes a long way to influence ideologies, mindset and belief systems of those outside who read it, watch it and even listen to it.

“Under the liberal media system, it seems that the media plays a major role in watching the government.

“When they watch the government, they tend to report a lot of negative stories to try to find the problems and the troubles of the government.

“So, when the media keeps projecting the nation as a place of negativity with no positivity and advantages, it drives away potential investors, tourists and even migrants who want to live there.

“In order to boost the growth and development of Nigeria and African countries at large, excessive negative news reportage must be put to an end.”

For developing countries like Nigeria. Yanqiu said that it is time for the media to start promoting the country’s image via positive reportage and also consider solutions journalism or constructive journalism.

“This means journalists not only find the problems, but also try to have the media be a facilitator or mediator to find out how the country can solve the problem.

“We are not saying Journalists should sweep the problems under the rug or not to criticise but everything should be done within boundaries with the aim of proffering solutions.

“So let the media as mediators invite different sectors or people concerned to talk about the issue and to find solutions to the identified problems.

“So, this is something I think the media should consider as the new concept,”she said.

A participant, Mr Yahaya Samuel, media supervisor at Jeffwood investment from Nigeria, lauded the Chinese government’s kind gesture and the opportunity to see China beyond the news.

He added that Nigeria is working towards discouraging negative news reportage and will strive to put in more deliberate efforts to project Nigeria and Africa at large in a positive light.

“From this training, we now have more understanding that the way our local media portray the country often contributes to shaping how the country and its citizens are perceived by the international community, including foreign investors,”Samuel said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The education of young people is not solely dependent on the education system; communities also have a role to play in imparting knowledge regarding adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights and mental health.

This was said by senior youth officer in the Ministry of Sports, Anneline Van Wyk in an interview with Nampa on Wednesday during a workshop focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health rights and mental health.

The workshop at Keetmanshoop commenced on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on Friday. Approximately 25 youths from Snyfontein, Berseba, Tses, Blouwes, and Aroab are participating.

“We leave too much to the education system as a community and as a ministry responsible for young people, we have a responsibility to have these conversations with young people and not just at school, but in our homes and communities,” she said.

Van Wyk said communities need to get young people to a point where they are proud of themselves and become resilient to the everyday challenges of life.

“We are witnessing the unfortunate loss of too many young lives to suicide, with many struggling silently with mental health concerns. They lack the confidence to seek help, unsure of how to reach out. Hence, we must establish an environment conducive to their seeking assistance. Numerous young people are unaware of their rights, particularly in matters of comprehensive sexual rights. This is why our focus is on emotional and social well-being,” Van Wyk added.

She further explained that the workshop’s objective is to empower the attendees with comprehensive knowledge on these diverse subjects. The intention is that they can, in turn, disseminate this information within their respective villages. Van Wyk clarified that the organisers deliberately selected young participants from rural areas.

“We aspire to include everyone; most training and workshops tend to benefit urban dwellers. Nonetheless, we are committed to ensuring that youths from rural settings also gain from these informational sessions,” Van Wyk stated.

Andrea Isaaks, one of the participants from Berseba, shared her perspective, saying: “The addressed topics deeply resonate with us, the youth. What I intend to share with my peers in Berseba is the awareness surrounding adolescence, understanding our bodies, safeguarding ourselves, and being knowledgeable about our sexual rights.”

Source: The Namibian Press Agency

Demand for national documents continue to exert pressure on the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, as lengthy queues persist at its main office in Windhoek.

The ministry inaugurated its N.dollars 813 million state-of-the-art headquarters in November 2022 with the aim of improving service delivery to both Namibians and foreigners.

In a recent interview with Nampa, the ministry’s public relations officer, Margaret Kalo, said the ministry frequently faces a notable surge in demand for its services on Mondays and payday. To address congestion, the ministry employs various remedial measures, such as deploying trained graduate students to assist, or reassigning staff members from administrative roles to aid at service counters.

She indicated that the ministry in 2022 introduced an internship programme for graduate students who are trained to assist at the counters. Up to now, 99 students have benefited from this initiative.

“In most cases, these measures successfully mitigate the impact of high client numbers and significantly reduce waiting times. However, while we are trying our best to provide timely services to our clients, queues cannot be completely avoided at all times,” she said.

Kalo further highlighted that the ministry frequently encounters an influx of applications, primarily for duplicate IDs, initial IDs, ID collections, late birth certificates, duplicate birth certificates, and visas.

She stressed that the issuance of late birth certificates is a cumbersome process as civil registration requires investigation and verification of the birth of origin of an individual.

“We are encouraging parents and guardians to register their children immediately after birth, as birth certificate services are conveniently available at hospitals across the country. This approach would significantly reduce the number of individuals lacking proper documentation,” she said.

Kalo also noted that since the introduction of an online platform in March 2023, the ministry has received a total of 900 passport applications and 1 360 short-term visa applications online. She urged the public to take advantage of the ministry’s online platform, as it offers a quicker and more convenient procedure compared to in-person applications.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency