The federal government said the United Nations General Assembly has finally granted Nigeria the right to host and operate the UNESCO Category 2 Media and Information Literacy Institute in Abuja.

The right was granted at a meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this during the certification at a World News Conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Idris said that the remarkable achievement was realised by President Bola Tinubu’s absolute commitment to the project.

“The process started before I was appointed as the Minister of Information and National Orientation in 2023. When I briefed the president on the project, he said he is ready to do everything possible to ensure that the project becomes a reality. Today, we have won the right, and henceforth Nigeria will be a Centre for International Media and Information Literacy,” Mr Idris said.

He also announced that Nigeria would host the 2026 African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference and the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja.

He said this would make Nigeria the first African country to host both global events in the same year.

“Nigeria has also accepted to host the maiden meeting of the African bloc of the National Committees of the International Press Institute (IPI),” the minister said.

He pledged the government’s continued collaboration with UNESCO to meet the Institute’s infrastructure needs.

He said it would also strengthen governance capacity by assembling a multidisciplinary team of experts to actualise the global mandate.

Mr Idris said that the formal inauguration of the institute was expected to be held in February 2026, in Abuja.

The UNESCO Category 2 Media and Information Literacy Institute in Abuja would equip the team to forensically debunk falsehoods.

It would equally enable them to trace malicious campaigns and saturate the digital space with credible, engaging content that reclaims the national story. 

The institute is sited at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.