Maku blames Nigeria’s image problems on activities of some politicians

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, has blamed the attitude and activities of some political leaders for Nigeria’s image problems on the international scene. Maku made the observation in Abuja on Tuesday at a public hearing organised by the National Conference Committee on Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matters. The minister, who made a detailed presentation to the committee on government’s image management efforts abroad, said the attitude of some political elites had compounded the situation. “One of the major problems we have had in projecting our country as a ministry of information has been how to unite the divided political elites who always seek to run down this country before the international community. “Each time an opportunity presents itself, you find our political leaders going abroad to speak bad about our country and this has compounded the work that we do in the ministry. “Until this trend changes, our efforts to manage Nigeria’s image in the international community remains undermined,’’ he said. Maku said the conduct of the local media had also made the task of laundering Nigeria’s image more difficult for government officials. The minister also decried the situation where the Nigeria media was at the fore of projecting the country in bad light before the international community. He, however, said correcting that eroded societal values and institutional reforms were among broad measures that could positively help to project Nigeria’s image in the international scene. According to him, there is the need to resolve the internal political problems that have continued to hamper the job that we do in the management of the nation’s image. He urged the political elites to develop a sense of patriotism for the nation so as to improve the country’s rating in the global community and attract the needed investment for development. Maku urged stakeholders in the media to put aside their differences and develop strong measures for professional control so as to advance journalism practice in Nigeria. On the fight against insurgency, Maku dismissed insinuations that the Federal Government was relaxed about ending the crisis. He said that a lot was being done and that government remained committed to restoring peace to that part of the country. The minister also urged the conference to among other things come up with recommendations that would unite political elites in the interest of national development. The Chairman of the committee, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, said the dearth of genuine national leaders was partly responsible for the challenges confronting the nation, including negative image abroad. Gambari stressed the need for a synergy among Ministries, Departments and Agencies to hasten the image management efforts of the Federal Government