Abuja – Mr Mike Omeri, Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), on Thursday said it would create a Unit to translate English to local languages.
Omeri said this at its One Day Seminar on Do the Right Thing, Close the Security Gaps, Role of the Media in Security Reporting in Nigeria.
“We have 520 dialects in Nigeria and we pride ourselves as the agency that speaks all languages in the country.
“The only way to get people to key into what we are doing is for them to understand what the Queens English men and women are talking about.
“The only way to do that is to translate them into these local languages‘’, he said.
Omeri said the series of security awareness programmes carried out by NOA was aimed at significantly improving the immediate and long term security of the nation.
According to him, if the belief that security is strictly the business of government and security agencies is adopted, the soul of Nigeria will be endangered.
He explained that one key area requiring keen alertness on the part of all stakeholders was the prevailing need at this time to protect critical national information and common facilities.
The DG said all hands must be on deck to support and complement the heroic efforts of the nation’s military by remaining vigilant.
He urged all to availing security agencies of useful information about suspicious characters, items and movements.
“At NOA, we have forged a number of useful partnerships with some stakeholders from military, security experts, civil societies the media and other members of the public for effective sensitisation and education of Nigerians on security issues.’’
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Mr Idris Ahmed, Accountant General of the Federation, said the role of the media in security reporting cannot be overemphasised.
Ahmed said the media, as the watchdog of the society, has a significant role to play in security reportage because it will determine the success or otherwise in the fight.
According to him, the media is also expected to be objective in reports of security challenge devoid of religious, tribal or political sentiments.
“The nation is still battling with insurgency in the North-East which has claimed thousands of lives and destroyed properties worth billions of naira.
“Every Nigerian has a role to play in being security conscious and helping win the battle. I, therefore, call on the media to take this awareness to every nook and cranny of the country. (NAN)