By Reportcircle Abuja
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has issued a stern and timely warning to Nigeria’s digital news ecosystem, declaring that the nation’s stability now rests heavily on how online editors manage truth, ethics and public narratives.
Delivering a goodwill message at the 2025 Investiture Public Lecture & Awards of the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) on Tuesday at NICON Luxury Hotel, the NOA DG represented at the event praised the Association for sustaining a platform that is increasingly shaping national discourse and raising the standards of Nigeria’s fast-evolving digital journalism space.
But the commendation came with a powerful caution.
In an age where more Nigerians get their news, outrage and hope from their phones, the DG said online media has become the nation’s most potent opinion factory.
“Digital media is now where narratives are born, where opinions are shaped, and where citizens encounter the issues that define their daily lives,” he told the audience of editors, policymakers, and media innovators.
He warned that this influence demands discipline, integrity and responsibility values he said are becoming scarcer in Nigeria’s highly politicised online environment.
The DG highlighted the National Values Charter, approved by the Federal Executive Council in September 2024, as a unifying ethical framework that should guide both institutions and citizens.
He said the Charter is designed to:
Promote responsible digital behaviour
Strengthen respectful public engagement
Reinforce national unity in an increasingly polarised media climate
“When we promote truth online, we reinforce trust offline,” he added, stressing that national stability depends on what online editors choose to amplify.
NOA Rolls Out New Digital Communication Reforms
The goodwill message revealed ongoing reforms at the NOA aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s information ecosystem, including:
Upgrading public communication platforms
Developing simplified explainer materials for government policies
Expanding fact-based public education initiatives
Building partnerships with credible digital media organisations like ACOE
He acknowledged the rising threats of misinformation, disinformation and coordinated propaganda networks, saying NOA is ready to work with online editors to build stronger editorial standards and deepen digital ethics across the sector.
The DG challenged ACOE members and Nigeria’s wider online media community to rise above sensationalism and deliberate distortions that fuel fear, ethnic tension and political division.
“As you celebrate excellence today, let us remember our shared duty to build a media ecosystem that unites and enlightens one that strengthens our national fabric rather than tears it apart.”
He noted that every headline, every post, every breaking alert released by an online newsroom influences the psychology of millions, making responsibility non-negotiable.
While congratulating the awardees and organisers, the DG urged online editors to sustain a culture of credibility and professionalism, saying the future of Nigeria’s information landscape and its democracy depends on their integrity.
“Together, let us continue to elevate the standards of corporate online media and strengthen the future of our nation.”
The ceremony, attended by senior editors, digital innovators and media leaders, underscored a shared industry commitment to rebuilding trust in Nigeria’s online information space at a time when trust has become the country’s scarcest currency.
