Bayo Onanuga, a presidential media aide, has accused the Nigerian media of exaggerating the reportage of insecurity in the country.

Onanuga, a veteran in the media space, made this known in a post on his X handle.

“This sweeping generalisation conveyed by the newspaper does not match the reality lived by the people in the state,” he said in reaction to a newspaper headline with the caption ‘From Rising industrial hub to den of cultists, criminals.’

He stated: “As a newspaper man myself for over 40 years, I understand the game the media play.

“To sell our newspapers or clickbait, we tend to exaggerate and embellish, sometimes forgetting the social responsibility of the media, not to give the impression that our country is under siege by criminals or that every nook and cranny of our country is under their stranglehold.”

Onanuga noted that Nigeria’s security agencies deserve society’s appreciation for their efforts so far, in trying to nip in the bud the evils of kidnapping, banditry, communal killings and terrorism in our country.

“Their efforts, most often understated, have made our country safer, at least than South Africa or the United States, where 44,310 people were killed last year in gun violence,” he noted.

Cautioning his former colleagues, Onanuga said: “Media reporting about cases of kidnapping, communal killings and isolated terrorism acts must show some moderation by not giving the impression that all Nigerians no longer sleep with two eyes closed or are not safe in going about their day-to-day business.”

He added: “Citizens and the media must also, as a matter of duty, complement the efforts of government to completely stamp out violent crimes.”