Fake News is a Danger to Nigeria we must all Fight

The reaction by President Muhammadu Buhari to the trending online fake news on his alleged refusal to hand over to President Elect Bola Tinubu as a dangerous signal.

Discussants on the Journalist Hangout on Sunday said the issue shows the impact of Fake News o the nations’ polity.

Babajide Kolade-Otitioju who led the discussion said the issue of fake news is something that needs to be addressed due to its potential to cause a huge conflagration in the country.

He added that despite all his years as a Journalist, it is becoming increasingly difficult to decipher or differentiate between what is fake or not with some stories written with so much compelling evidence that one may never be able to know its fake or not.

He cited the issue of the alleged meeting between the Chief Justice of Nigeria Olukayode Ariwoola and President Elect, Bola Tinubu, as another major fake news that went viral leading to what he described as paid protests in parts of Abuja.

He was emphatic with what he called an industry of paid protests that now exists in Abuja asking the Chief Justice of Nigeria to resign as nothing but something that should not be taken seriously any longer.

He added that it will be naive for anybody to think that protests that can be organised with little money due to the cash crunch occasioned by the Naira Redesign and Currency Confiscation of the Central Bank of Nigeria represents the views of Nigerians.

He expressed his worry about the impact of Fake news on the polity with several stories on the alleged health status of the President Elect to the alleged disclosure that the President will not hand over to the Tinubu/Shettima winning ticket on May 29th.

He said the activities of people who are purveyors of fake news is so perverse that its even a crime now to disagree with their views.

Anchor, Ayodele Ozugbakun, said the issue is so hard to break that a CJN Ariwoola who was supposedly having meetings in London was also attending Jummat Prayers at the Ansarudeen Mosque in Asokoro Abuja.

For his part, Chris Kehinde Nwandu, said this challenge was one of the reasons behind the setting up of the Association of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria by online publishers which he is a member of.

He however added that its not easy to reign in the kind of Fake News being pushed on the Social Media at all times.

He said the Police Force Public Relations Officer complaining about the activities of Journalists who are fond of spreading fake news.

He disclosed that the Nigerian Cybercrime Law which was signed into Law in 2015 by Former President Goodluck Jonathan as he was leaving office that criminalises spread of fake news.

He disclosed that he was a victim of the law when he was detained for 13 day at Ikoyi Prison over a Story he published.

According to him, most Lawyers are not eve aware of the existence of the Law.

He urged Blogger and Other Nigerians to be wary of spreading news without confirming it adding that ignorance is not an excuse in law.

He cited the example of the Video of alleged burnt and shredded Naira Notes which the Central Bank of Nigeria came out out to deny as being untrue.

He said that no right thinking Nigerian will believe that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, will tell anybody or countenance not handing over to a validly elected President of Nigeria.