Nigerian govt launches campaign against fake news ahead of 2019

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, The Minister of Information and Culture has reportedly launched a National Campaign Against Fake News.

Lai made this known while addressing a world press conference in Abuja the Nation’s capital on Wednesday July 11th, 2018.

The Minister called the phenomenon a time bomb and an epidemic that could detonate with deadly consequences if left unchecked.

he went further saying that it could be worse than all the plagues that the world had recorded put together, a clear and present danger to global peace and security, and a threat to democracy.

According to him,”Once the people lose confidence in the media, the media and the society are in trouble.”

He said the essence of the campaign is to ”sensitize all Nigerians to the dangers posed to the peace and security, and indeed the corporate existence of Nigeria by the phenomenon, and the fact that each and every Nigerian has a role to play in curtailing the spread of fake news”.

He further explained that though the federal government had been calling national attention to the issue of fake news and hate speeches since last year, “the timing of the launch is also not unconnected to the role of fake news in aggravating the various crises in the country as well as the need to check this phenomenon ahead of the 2019 elections.”

The Minister said the government will use all the information dissemination tools at its disposal, work with both the traditional and social media, as well as the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to sensitize Nigerians.

He assured that the campaign will, however, not involve the use of coercion and censorship, but appealed to the media to lead the campaign, and to Nigerians not to share any news or message unless its source is authentic.