Minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed insists fake news and hate speech constitute the biggest threat to the 2019 general election, with an appeal to states to join in the campaign to sensitise Nigerians to the dangers.
Mohammed made the assertion in Kaduna on Thursday, during the official opening ceremony of the 47th National Council on Information (NCI) attended by commissioners of information from about 20 states.
“With the 2019 general elections just a little over 60 days away, there is no issue that is more relevant to the election than the issue of fake news and hate speech,” he said.
“This issue transcends political party lines, religion, ethnicity, and even nationality. Left unchecked, fake news and hate speech constitute the biggest threat to the forthcoming elections.”
Mohammed said fake news has the capacity to alter the course of elections and create legitimacy problem for the winner, citing as an example a report that said fake news helped to depress Hillary Clinton’s votes during the 2016 US election, in addition to tainting the victory for the winner.
He also said hate speech was a catalyst in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead.
The minister said while the Federal Government has been unrelenting in calling attention to the dangers posed to the nation’s peace, security and democracy, including through the launch of the National Campaign Against Fake News on July 11 2018, it cannot do it alone.
“The campaign against fake news and hate speech is not just a responsibility of the Federal Government. It is for all tiers of government. Therefore, I expect that the honourable commissioners who are here, and those who are not, will launch the campaign in their various states.
“The media will bear the brunt if the people lose confidence in them because of fake news. This is why the media must lead this campaign,” he said.
