The Nigerian Youth Parliament, Borno Caucus, has called for a stronger media and information literacy framework to equip youths and communities with skills to identify, assess and responsibly share information.

The call was made at a Media Stakeholders’ Technical Alignment Meeting organised by the Parliament, in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Borno, on Monday in Maiduguri.

Fatima Lamisula, who represents Borno North in parliament, presented the meeting framework and said the initiative aimed to develop the Borno State Media Action Plan (2027–2031).

She said the breakout sessions would serve as the principal technical mechanism for translating stakeholders’ experiences, evidence and proposed solutions into practical components of the action plan.

According to her, the sessions would identify problems, consequences and existing gaps, before developing solutions, priority actions, responsible actors, timelines and measurable indicators.

Ms Lamisula said the proposed framework covered five thematic areas, including misinformation, disinformation and rumour management; peacebuilding, hate speech and extremist propaganda; and digital and media literacy for youths and communities.

She also listed other areas, including responsible journalism, public information and strategic government communication, community participation, civic information, and sustainable media literacy systems.

Ms Lamisula said representatives of the government, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organisations, academics and concerned citizens would contribute their perspectives to the process.

She said stakeholders were expected to develop recommendations to guide the proposed Borno State Media Action Plan for implementation from 2027 to 2031.

Abdulkareem Haruna, chairman of NUJ Borno Council, commended the Nigerian Youth Parliament for the initiative.

Mr Haruna assured the organisers of the cooperation and support of the union and the council toward the success of the process.

Similarly, Ali Yaumi, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) representative, expressed the association’s commitment to supporting the initiative.

Mr Yaumi said the collaboration would contribute to the development of youths, the state and citizens.

He said that strengthening media and information literacy could support informed citizen participation and community development.

(NAN)