The Special Adviser to the President-elect, Mr. Dele Alake, has urged foreign journalists to be objective in reporting events in Nigeria.
Speaking with representatives of International Media Organisations covering Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, Alake said the parley was meant to appeal for a shift and a change of mind-set in the way the international media report issues in Nigeria and other African countries.
The erstwhile Lagos State Information and Strategy commissioner cautioned against reports that stoke political tensions and exacerbate crises that can cause unrest and instability.
“You are the ones on the ground here. You understand the political environment and the nuances better than your organisations in Paris, London, Johannesburg, New York, Beijing, Istanbul and Tehran. You are in a much vantage position to educate your bosses on how to exercise better editorial judgement on matters relating to Nigeria.
“Our country is the biggest Black nation on earth with a population that is estimated to be over 200 million. Though it is the biggest economy in Africa, it is a country with institutions of state that are still growing.
“We seek the cooperation of the global media to project our country as the new frontier of economic growth, best destination for foreign investments, because of our large market, and guaranteed profitability for investors,” he said.
Alake said it was “unfair and quite uncharitable to describe the last election as fraudulent, manipulated or flawed”.
According to him, the noise over the results that were not uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) server was a distraction from the positives that were recorded during the February 25 poll.