Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State has observed that if the continent of Africa must grow out of its debilitating problems, the media has a great role to play in changing the negative image of Africa.
Saraki made the observation in Lagos, weekend, while speaking at the Second African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) which was organised by ThisDay Newspapers.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Billy Adedamola, the governor explained that the media had always played the leading role in the way we think and do things, pointing out that central to this role of the media was the idea of perception.
According to him, the image of Africa as being seen by the rest of the world, is that of a struggling continent and one that is stuck in poverty.
His words: "Individually, we have excelled but as a continent, we are still seen as backward. It is not possible to change without the support of the media. However, we are changing but it is our responsibility to help us get there."
Saraki appealed to media practitioners to assist Africa and Nigeria in particular to redeem the bad image being painted the country by the outside world.
"As long as the media don't give the leaders the chance to get there, it would not be easy to get there. If you look at the leadership in Nigeria in the past six years, there is marked improvement which shows that we are changing," he said.