Buni Tasks Media Practitioners On Responsible Use Of Digital Platforms

Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, has urged media practitioners to harness digital tools responsibly to strengthen community engagement, public confidence and democratic governance.

Buni gave the charge yesterday while declaring open the 2026 Yobe Media Summit at the NEDC Event Centre of Government Girls Unity College, Damaturu.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Goje, the governor said the summit reflected the changing nature of governance and public communication and the need to transform how citizens receive information, express their views and engage with government.

Buni said the role of the media went beyond photographs, press statements and social media posts, stressing that media practitioners occupied an important space between government and the people in strengthening public confidence.

He added that information could direct citizens towards opportunities and public services while creating meaningful interaction between government and communities.

The governor said his administration, under its philosophy of continuity and consolidation, had strengthened security collaboration and community resilience while constructing, rehabilitating and upgrading over 500 kilometres of roads, alongside bridges and other strategic urban infrastructure.

He also listed education, agriculture, healthcare delivery and housing among sectors where the administration had expanded interventions.

Buni charged participants at the summit to communicate with facts and disagree without resorting to insults, in line with the ethics of journalism.

He stressed the need to connect digital communication with grassroots engagement by listening to farmers, traders, youths, traditional leaders, persons with disabilities and other groups whose experiences, he said, should continuously inform government policies.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, said the maiden Yobe Media Summit was convened to harness digital tools to strengthen democratic governance, community impact and engagement.

Abdullahi Bego said the summit demonstrated the government’s commitment to equipping youths with the skills required to navigate the changing media landscape, particularly as the country approaches electioneering campaigns ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

The commissioner said the summit would become an annual event aimed at addressing the challenges of misinformation and disinformation in the state’s recovery process.

In separate goodwill messages, the General Managers of Yobe Broadcasting Corporation (YBC), Yobe Television (YTV) and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), as well as the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhaji Abubakar S. Fada, Yusuf Alhaji Isah and Comr. Rajab Mohammed Isma’il, charged participants to be guided by the ethics of the journalism profession.

They commended the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture for bringing mainstream and social media practitioners together at a time digital platforms were playing an increasingly important role in public communication and electioneering.

The presentations focused on women and youth participation in the media, the role of mass media in the development process, algorithm literacy, responsible content creation and making impact on social media.