The Federal Government is insistent on regulating the social media, claiming it’s the only way to checkmate fake news.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while appearing before House of Representatives Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, on Tuesday, to defend the 2021 budget proposed by his ministry, posited that the next war to be fought in the country and across the world might be on the social media.
He also warned that Nigeria was sitting on a keg of gunpowder if the issue of fake news was not urgently addressed.
“The biggest challenge facing Nigeria today is fake news and misinformation. Based on that, we dedicated an entire National Council on Information’s meeting to that issue, after which we launched a national campaign against fake news in July 2018.
“We said, then, that the next war will be fought without a shot being fired, but with the use of fake news. We didn’t stop there. We went on a tour of all media houses to solicit their support in the fight against fake news.
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“The recent #EndSARS war was fought on social media. They mobilised using the social media. The war today revolves around two things. Smartphone and data and these young men don’t even watch television or listen to radio or read newspapers,” Mohammed stated.
However, a member of the Emmanuel Oghene, cautioned against any attempt to shut down the social media in the country, saying the action will be counter-productive.
Also, Chairman of the committee, Olusegun Odebunmi, advised the Federal government to find a way to regulate the social media and still allow the cyber space in the country to work.
The Next Edition reports that the recent peaceful #EndSARS protests which lasted for over two weeks before being hijacked by hoodlums, has been largely coordinated via the social media.
