Nigerian Government has again, said checking the abuse of social media is not synonymous with stifling press freedom or free speech, insisting fake news and disinformation are not the same as free speech.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this on Tuesday, pointedly said government would go ahead to regulate the social media.
“For the umpteenth time, I want to say that this government has no plan to stifle free speech, neither do we have any intention of shutting down the internet as some have claimed.
“Social media has come to stay, and those who use it responsibly have nothing to fear. But those who abuse it are right to be worried, the Minister said at a media parley in Lagos.
On the recent beheading of 43 rice farmers by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno, the Minister reacted this way: “I want to say it is an act of cowardice and savagery by a group of deranged terrorists, and it does not reflect the progress being made by the military against Boko Haram.
“Going after soft targets is an act of weakness and desperation by the terrorists, who have suffered huge setbacks in the hands of the military in recent times.
“The truth is that Boko Haram is badly degraded and can only carry out cowardly attacks like the one against defenceless farmers over the weekend.
Speaking further on fake news and disinformation, the Minister noted that recent EndSARS crisis and the aftermath “present a rare opportunity to see how these twin evils could aggravate issues.
“For example, the knee-jerk reactions of some countries were informed by fake news and disinformation, and varying figures of those purportedly killed in the hoax massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate are being bandied around. For example, Parliamentarians in Britain put the figure of those killed at 10, CNN first reported 38 and then lowered the number to 1. And DJ Switch’s numbers cascaded from 78 dead to 15 to 7!”
He spoke further, “Even an international broadcaster like CNN was misled by fake news and disinformation. But CNN has itself to blame for relying on unauthenticated videos, which it took from social media.
“Now, CNN is seeking to save face by trying to clarify its report, which was not only inaccurate but failed the simple test of balance and fairness. The attempt to walk back its earlier report has justifiably attracted the anger of Nigerians.
“As you all know, the Federal Government has written a letter to CNN asking it to use its own internal mechanism to probe its so-called investigative report on the Lekki Toll Gate incident.
“We have received an acknowledgement of our letter, saying the letter has been referred to CNN’s Editorial Team. We await the outcome of their probe. But CNN has egg on its face for airing an ”exclusive investigation” that is hinged on nothing but fake news.”
The Minister lamented that during the #EndSARS protests, a few media and human rights organisations highlighted that security agents especially policemen and soldiers were killed, describing it as most unfortunate.
“For the record, six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed all over the country during the crisis. Also, 196 policemen were injured; 164 police vehicles were destroyed and 134 police stations burnt down.
“In addition, the violence left 57 civilians dead, 269 private/corporate facilities burnt/looted/vandalized, 243 government facilities burnt/vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted.
“The killing of the policemen was particularly gruesome and savage. Yet, human rights organizations and the media have not given this the attention it deserves. Rather, they have remained fixated on the so-called massacre. It seems the men and women in uniform are not entitled to the protection of their own human rights, Mr. Mohammed said.
