Unverified coup reports scaring investors, says Nigerian government

The Presidency has said that recent media reports about alleged coup plots are damaging the country’s economy and discouraging foreign investment, as well as harm Nigeria’s image abroad.

Penpushing reports that Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made this known while featuring on a television programme arguing that unverified reports about national security could extinguish investor confidence and harm Nigeria’s image abroad.

“When a country is looking for investment and the media are shouting ‘coup attempt,’ it scares investors away. Stories like that can destroy the country’s reputation and economy. We need to wait for facts, evidence, not rumours,” Onanuga said.

Penpushing further reports that Onanuga , however, called for restraint, appealing to the media and the public to allow official investigations to conclude before publishing sensitive stories.

The Special Adviser while admitting that the military had confirmed an ongoing investigation into some arrests, said no credible evidence had yet been established linking them to a coup attempt.

Penpushing also reports that Onanuga argued that leaping to conclusions before official confirmation portends grave national consequences, just as he faulted what he described as a growing appetite for sensationalism and online traffic, noting that not every piece of information is “fit to print.”

“Some media outlets ran with the story for clicks and attention. But as patriotic Nigerians, we must know that what we report has implications for our economy and stability’, Onanuga emphasized.

Penpushing reports that the spokesperson said added that the government was aware of citizens’ growing distrust of official statements but insisted that such scepticism did not justify publishing unverified claims.

“It’s true people don’t always trust government, that happens everywhere in the world. But the media also have a social responsibility to be cautious and wait for facts,” he said.

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