The Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP), in partnership with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has started consultations with media stakeholders in Borno State as part of efforts to develop a five-year Media Action Plan aimed at improving information management and promoting peace.
The initiative, known as the Borno State Media Action Plan (2027–2031), is designed to create a framework that will address challenges affecting the media space, including misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and limited digital literacy among young people and communities.
Speaking at a media stakeholders’ technical alignment meeting held on Monday at the BOSCHMA Conference Hall in Maiduguri, the Senator representing Borno North at the Nigerian Youth Parliament, Miss Fatima Bukar Lamisula, said the process would help develop practical solutions to existing challenges in the state’s information ecosystem.
Lamisula explained that the meeting brought together key stakeholders to examine ways of strengthening media and information literacy across Borno State.
She said the policy framework presented at the meeting was divided into six thematic sections and would help transform stakeholders’ experiences, evidence and recommendations into practical components of the five-year action plan.
According to her, the framework would focus on identifying existing problems, gaps and challenges while developing solutions that would support youth development and improve communication systems.
She added that the plan would also outline priority actions, responsible institutions, timelines and measurable indicators to ensure effective implementation.
“The process is aimed at identifying problems, issues, challenges and existing gaps, in order to come out with formidable development solutions, prioritize actions, responsible decisions, timelines and measurable indicators,” Lamisula said.
She noted that the framework would focus on key areas including misinformation, malinformation, disinformation, fake news and hate speech management as part of efforts to promote peacebuilding and counter extremist narratives.
Other areas covered by the plan include digital and media literacy for youths and communities, responsible journalism, public information, strategic government communication, community participation and sustainable media literacy systems.
Lamisula said the consultation would involve representatives from government agencies, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organisations, academics and members of the public.
She explained that the involvement of different groups would help bring together diverse perspectives on public policies, professional journalism, community needs, research, accountability and citizen participation.
The Chairman of the NUJ Borno State Council, Mr Abdulkareem Haruna, commended the Nigerian Youth Parliament for initiating the process and assured the organisers of the union’s support toward the successful development and implementation of the action plan.
“We commend the Nigerian Youth Parliament for this initiative and assure you of our cooperation and support toward achieving the objectives of the proposed action plan,” Haruna said.
Also speaking, the ALGON representative, Alhaji Ali Yaumi, expressed the association’s commitment to supporting the project, describing it as an important step toward improving access to credible information and promoting sustainable development.
He said the partnership would contribute to the growth of young people, the state and citizens by encouraging effective communication and responsible information sharing.
The stakeholder engagement is expected to produce recommendations that will guide the final development of the Borno State Media Action Plan, which is expected to run from 2027 to 2031.
The initiative comes at a time when communities are increasingly relying on digital platforms for information, making media literacy, responsible reporting and access to credible information critical tools for peacebuilding and social development in Borno State.
