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Lai Mohammed Declares How Sensational Headlines Made EndSARS Protest Controversial
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has blamed sensational and misleading media headlines for the controversy that trailed the EndSARS protests, saying exaggerated reporting deepened public misunderstanding of events.
Mohammed made the remarks on Thursday during a reading of his latest book, ‘Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined An Administration’. held in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the former minister said the influence of headlines has grown significantly in the era of digital and social media, warning that many Nigerians now form opinions based solely on headlines without reading the full reports.
“The powers of headlines are so enormous,” he said.
“Unfortunately, these days, with the new technology and new media, the attention span of the average citizen has shrunk.
“The average Nigerian today doesn’t want to read any document. He runs away with the headlines, but the headlines don’t always tell the story.”
According to him, media programmes that focus primarily on headlines have worsened the situation, as audiences often draw conclusions without understanding the broader context of events.
“Most people run with the headline without even getting to the story itself,” he said.
Mohammed specifically cited media coverage following the #EndSARS protests, arguing that headlines published after the protest was dispersed by soldiers contributed to the controversy that followed.
“And it was these same headlines that made the EndSARS protest so controversial,” he stated.
“Because the day after the protest was dispersed by the soldiers, the headlines were ‘massacre at the toll gate’.
“They were giving various numbers, some said 100, some said 60, some said 40.”
He criticised what he described as a culture of sharing unverified information, particularly on social media platforms.
“Unfortunately, in Nigeria today, you send a story, nobody bothers to verify, they share,” he said.
Mohammed concluded that while headlines are an essential part of journalism, they can distort public perception when not properly contextualised, urging media practitioners and the public alike to prioritise accuracy and verification over sensationalism.
The former Minister also renewed the call for the regulation of the social media to prevent harm to individuals and society.
Mohammed compared the need for regulation to the safety mechanisms built into automobiles.
“When cars were made, they had speed gears, but they also had brakes,” he said.
“For the same reason that an unregulated social media can do more harm than good, not for the government.”
He said regulating the Social Media is not censorship but it’s a deliberate effort at protecting public well-being.
“And you can see how slowly, even the western world, they are coming back to regulate social media,” he said.
“See what happened in Australia today, where, if you are below a certain age, you don’t have access to it.
“It is for the well-being and wholeness of the country, not just for the government.”
Mohammed mentioned cyberbullying and misinformation as examples of the dangers of unregulated platforms.
“Many young people have been bullied on social media; some of them have committed suicide,” he said.
“So it’s important. We are not saying you ban it. No, regulate it. Register with the government, and let there be a code of conduct. And today, with the AI regime, we haven’t seen anything yet.
“Many homes have been broken as a result of fake news. So, we need some form of regulation.”
Explaining why he wrote the book, Mohammed said public officials owe citizens a duty to document their experiences.
“I believe that it is important for everybody who has served at that level,” he said.
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POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
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POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
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