The Abuja Film Village (AFV) on Monday the 14th of November, 2022, launched the inaugural leg of its Films in Education media literacy campaign and training for secondary school students. The event, coordinated in partnership with the “I Am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative” (IFON), Actors Guild of Nigeria and the Nigerian Film Corporation, was held at the Government Secondary School, Garki., Area 10, Abuja.
The speakers at the event emphasized the need for media action to sensitize the Nigerian populace on the scourge of fake news. The convener of the event and CEO of the Abuja Film Village, Dr. Francisca Ibezim, lauded the Federal Government’s decisive actions against fake news while soliciting sustained and determined action in view of the plethora of information on the internet which can be used in a malicious manner. The continued appeal stressed the need to inculcate and promote media literacy and films in education awareness training into the national curriculum with a view to ensuring access for every Nigerian child.
Dr. Francisca Ibezim stated: “In view of the fact that 21st-century kids are growing up in a digital world and media change, they must be educated on the consequences the change is presenting. The internet and social media have given our youth access to lots of information both real and fake. Teaching media literacy provides relevant skills to detect what information is fake, misleading or in fact real. This enables them to think critically about all the information they process.”
As part of the engagement, the CEO of “I am the Future of Nigeria Youth Initiative”, Mrs Noni Okocha delivered a “Spot the Fake News” training to 100 students of the secondary school which elicited positive reviews from all guests and participants in attendance. The students received further training in film production and photography to enable them to develop an interest in media as a future career path.
The event was personally attended by the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Chief Emeka Rollas as well as other ranking members of the Guild and connected stakeholders.