In line with efforts of government at all levels to curb the spread of fake news, the Abuja Film Village (AFV) has launched its Films in Education Media Literacy campaign and train secondary school students to champion the initiative.
The event which held on Monday at the Government Secondary School, Garki, Area 10, Abuja, was organised in partnership with the “I Am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative” (IFON), Actors Guild of Nigeria(AGN) and the Nigerian Film Corporation.
Over 100 students were trained on the anti-fake news campaign ,with speakers and resource persons drawn from the creative industry, CSOs and relevant regulatory agencies.
Dr. Francisca Ibezim, CEO of AFV, said the launch and training was a pilot phase of the AFV’s Films in Education Campaign and Media Change geared towards fighting the spread of fake news.
According to her, the initiative is aimed at spreading fake news while promoting education in film production in an effort to propel youths into future career paths.
“There is plenty of information readily available online, so there is an urgent need to educate our children on what information is real or fake.
“In view of the fact that 21st-century kids are growing up in a digital world and media change, they must be educated on the consequences the change is presenting.
“It is therefore critical that media literacy and films in education awareness training be introduced in the Nigerian basic education curriculum so that every Nigerian student can access the requisite knowledge .
“The internet and social media have given our youth access to lots of information both real and fake, teaching media literacy provides relevant skills to detect what information is fake, misleading or in fact real.
“This will enable them to think critically about all the information they process,”she said.
Ibezim therefore lauded the Federal Government’s decisive actions against fake news, while soliciting sustained and determined action in view of the easy access to information on the internet which could be used in a hateful manner.
She however stressed the need to inculcate and promote media literacy and films in education awareness training into the national education curriculum for accessibility to every Nigerian child.
As part of the engagement, the CEO of “I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative”, Mrs Noni Okocha delivered a “Spot the Fake News” training to 100 students of the secondary school.
The participating students also received further training in film production and photography to enable them to develop interest in media as a future career path.
Nollywood stars and filmmakers led by National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Ejezie Emeka Rollas (MON), attended the event.
The AGN helmsman commended the AFV for driving the Films in Education media literacy campaign and pledge the guilds continued support and commitment to work with the film village.
The Abuja Film Village (AFV) is a Public Private Partnership initiative of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, envisioned to make Abuja and, by extension, Nigeria a one-stop shop for entertainment and filmmaking excellence.
It serves as a bridge between the film industry, the education sector, the workforce and our community.
