The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has called on the Federal Government to be transparent in describing the true situation of things, especially the fight against insurgency, corruption and the state of the economy.
The Cardinal stated this while speaking in Abuja at the 2018 World Communications Day, organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja.
He insisted that most Nigerians were disenchanted with the continuous lies being spread by the government.
According to Onaiyekan “There is a perception that we are always told lies and when you have that perception going round the nation, it is very bad because even when the government is telling the truth Nigerians will not believe.
“Therefore, it is important that the government make sure that it keeps telling the nation the truth. There is a limit to which political propaganda can strive.
“We have a lot of problems in this nation and we have every reason to be angry. But what we should be doing is thinking of ways to resolve our problems.
“Forgiveness is an essential ingredient for peace if we want to move forward. Pursuing justice alone may not bring us peace.”
He further advised journalists, especially, social media users to desist from sharing false information on social media platforms which could instigate crisis.
“We need to be careful what we share. Even if it is true, they should not be shared. Obviously, fake news that we are talking about are information that are not true and which mimics the truth. If stories are true and are not helpful, they should not also be shared.
“I believe that whatever we share must be good and true. And that is why it is necessary for us to distinguish between truth and fact,” he stated.
