President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursdaysaid Boko Haram was no longer holding any part of Nigeria.
He stated this in his speech at the opening ceremony at the 67th International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress in Abuja.
Buhari noted: “Your annual congress is holding in Nigeria during a period of global terrorism. Nigeria experiences that scourgethrough Boko Haram, which has been technically degraded and has no territorial hold anywhere, anymore, in its northeast operational base.“The Internally Displaced Persons are gradually returning to their communities in reasonable safety and security.
“It is a reflection of your assessment of Nigeria as a safe country that you gave the country the hosting right for this conference. As you have seen since your arrival, you made a wise and right choice.“The changing media landscape, the explosion of the social media and the rapidly evolving new technology have had a profound impact on media business and media practice. It is satisfying, therefore, that you have chosen an appropriate themefor your conference: Why Good Journalism Matters: Quality Media for Strong Societies.
“In a world where the borderline between hate speech and free speech has become blurred, good journalism matters. In an environment where fake news dwarfs investigative reporting, Good Journalism Matters.“For survival in an increasingly competitive field, Good Journalism Matters. Good journalism promotes Good Governance. I, therefore, urge participants to give depth tothe topic in your discussions and conclusions.
“One of the reform initiatives of this administration is the introduction of visa on arrival policy. The policy is designed to aid ease of doing business in Nigeria. I am glad that international delegates to this conference are beneficiaries of this policy.
“The Nigerian government has provided necessary support for a successful hostingright from the time our delegation presented its hosting bid in Qatar to the granting of that right in Germany last year.”
