Speech by Ismail Abdulaziz, Director Special Duties & Head of Multimedia/Solutions Journalism, News Agency of Nigeria at the Friendship Exchange Symposium in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China from Sept. 7 to Sept. 9, 2026 with the theme “Xinjiangs governance experience and its international significance”.

Distinguished Guests, Esteemed Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a profound honour to address this symposium on “Xinjiang’s Governance Experience and its International Significance.”

I speak to you today not only as Director Special Duties at the News Agency of Nigeria, but as a journalist who has spent years covering the human cost of extremism, and the human resilience that follows it.

1. The Shared Challenge of Our Time

We meet to discuss a dilemma that defines our century: How do states protect citizens from terrorism without sacrificing the very values that make a society worth protecting — human rights and the rule of law?

This is not an abstract debate. It is lived reality.

In China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, communities once faced frequent terrorist attacks fueled by separatism and religious extremism. Lives were lost. Schools were threatened. The basic right to live without fear was undermined.

In Nigeria, my country, we know this pain intimately. For over a decade, Boko Haram and ISWAP have waged a brutal campaign against our people. They have targeted markets, schools, places of worship, and security forces. Their goal is clear: to spread fear, collapse governance, and replace the rule of law with the rule of terror.

Both Xinjiang and Nigeria are vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious societies. We sit at crossroads of civilization, bordered by many nations. That diversity is our greatest strength. But it is also what extremist groups seek to exploit.

Let us start with one premise we must all agree on Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. As China’s 2019 white paper on Xinjiang stated, terrorism threatens world peace and the very fabric of human rights. It is a scourge that knows no borders.

Therefore, the question before us is not whether to act. Both our nations have shown we must act decisively. The question is how to act effectively, lawfully, and humanely.

2. Two Approaches, One Goal: Security with Dignity

The approach in Xinjiang, as presented, was multi-faceted. It combined lawful security operations with education, vocational training, and efforts to address extremist ideology at its source. The stated objective was to protect the fundamental rights to life and development by first ensuring that citizens could live in peace.

In Nigeria, our journey has been similar in principle, though different in context. We began with urgent military responses to contain the threat. But we have learned that kinetic action alone cannot win the peace.

So we evolved.

1. Justice and Due Process: We have worked to clear backlogs of terror suspects through large-scale trials. It is slow and difficult, but essential. Justice delayed can become justice denied, and that itself fuels grievance.

2. Institutional Capacity: Through partnerships like the UNODC counter-terrorism project and our CT TECH+ Initiative at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, we are training security personnel to ensure investigations and technology are anchored in the rule of law.

3. Prevention and Reintegration: We are investing in community policing, deradicalisation, and reintegration programmes. Because a young man with a job and a stake in society is far less vulnerable to extremist recruitment.

A 2016 report from Sheffield Hallam University reminds us that counter-terror measures can implicate rights — to life, to freedom from arbitrary detention, to a fair trial. This tension is real. Managing it responsibly is the test of governance.

The lesson from both Xinjiang and Nigeria is this: Stability is a prerequisite for rights, and rights are the foundation of lasting stability. They are not opposites. They are partners.

4. The Fourth Estate: The Critical Role of the Media

Distinguished colleagues, if the state provides security and justice, who shapes the public’s understanding of that fight?

The media does.

If counter-terrorism is a national project, then journalists are not bystanders. We are participants. We are the chroniclers, the explainers, and yes, the conscience.

But with that role comes immense responsibility. In the information age, narratives are also battlefields. Extremists do not just plant bombs. They plant ideas. And they rely on us, sometimes unknowingly, to spread them.

So what are the duties of journalists, especially in Nigeria’s context?

Duty 1. Do No Harm — Practice Conflict-Sensitive Journalism. This means three things in practice.

First, avoid glorification. We must resist the temptation of sensational headlines and dramatic images that turn terrorists into anti-heroes. Every time we do that, we hand them free propaganda and recruitment material.

Second, balance the narrative. The news of an attack travels in seconds. But the story of a foiled plot, a rescued community, or a soldier’s sacrifice often gets buried. We must report successes with the same vigor. Otherwise, we allow the enemy to control the story and public morale.

Third, verify and contextualize. In a crisis, misinformation spreads faster than the truth. It causes panic, hampers operations, and can get people killed. Our duty is to confirm through official channels, to provide context, and to avoid being the first to publish and the last to be right.

Duty 2: Balance the Public’s Right-to-Know with National Security

This is the hardest tightrope we walk.

The Nigerian Constitution gives citizens the right to information. It also gives the government the duty to protect lives. As journalists, we must weigh every decision:

Will publishing details of a troop movement endanger soldiers?

Will naming victims before families are notified cause more trauma?

But balance is a two-way street. It also means we must avoid self-censorship. We cannot downplay the severity of the crisis because it is uncomfortable. Silence creates a vacuum. And into that vacuum rush rumors, conspiracy, and extremist propaganda. The media does not create reality. We reflect it — accurately and responsibly.

Duty 3: Demand Collaboration and Legal Protection

We cannot do this work in isolation.

We need structured cooperation between media and security agencies. Imagine a National Media-Security Coordination Council: regular, verified briefings during crises. This builds trust, reduces speculation, and ensures the public gets accurate information when they need it most.

We also need legal clarity and protection. Laws like the 2022 Terrorism Prevention Act are necessary. But vague provisions can be misused to target journalists doing their job. We need reforms that protect source confidentiality and clearly distinguish between reporting on terrorism and supporting it. A free press is not a threat to security. It is an asset to it.

4. Solutions Journalism: Telling the Story Beyond the Attack

At NAN, my responsibility also includes Solutions Journalism. And this is critical in counter-terrorism.

If we only report the bomb, we tell half the story. We must also report the response.

Report the school that reopened.

Report the community that rejected recruiters.

Report the court that delivered a fair trial.

Report the vocational center that gave a former associate a new skill.

Xinjiang’s focus on development and social stability, and Nigeria’s focus on reintegration and community engagement, show that the long war against extremism is won in classrooms, markets, and town halls — not just on battlefieldsOur job is to find those stories and amplify them. Because hope is also an antidote to extremism.

5. Conclusion: A Shared Path Forward

Distinguished guests, the experiences of Xinjiang and Nigeria are distinct. Our histories, cultures, and legal systems are different. But our challenge is shared.

We have an obligation to protect our citizens. And how we conduct that fight is a reflection of who we are.

For Nigeria, I believe the journalist has a sacred role. We are the watchdog for the public. We are not, and must never be, a megaphone for terrorists.

This requires two things: *professional discipline from us*, and *a supportive environment from the state* — one that protects press freedom while respecting legitimate security concerns.

By sharing best practices, by grounding our actions in the rule of law, and by telling the full story — of both the threat and the response — we can build more resilient societies. Societies that are safe, and free. Societies that reject the false promises of extremism.

Because at the end of the day, the war against terrorism will not be won by weapons alone. It will be won in the minds of our people.

And in that battle, the media must lead — with truth, with responsibility, and with courage.

Thank you for your kind attention.