Former Information Minister Lai Mohammed said his ministry uncovered 476 online publications that were dedicated to spreading fake news against the former administration of Buhari.
The ex-minister gave the account in Lagos at an event to commemorate the 90th birthday anniversary of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel laureate for literature.
The text of Mohammed presentation at the event, on the topic, “The Media in the Age of Disinformation”, was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.
Mohammed, the Managing Partner of Bruit Costard, a lobbyist and public relations firm, recalled that one of the pressing challenges he faced in office as minister was the spate of fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Mohammed specifically recalled the fake news that the former president had died while receiving treatment in a London hospital and was replaced by a clone called “Jubril from Sudan”.
According to him, the challenge of fake news continued up to the campaigns leading to the 2023 general elections where President Bola Tinubu became a target, when videos and speeches attributed to him were manipulated and distorted.
He said the purveyors of fake news were relentless in their efforts to de-market the laudable policies and programmes of the Tinubu’s administration.
Mohammed said fake news had become exponential through the use of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning techniques to create highly realistic fake or manipulated videos, audio recordings or images.
“The consequences of disinformation and misinformation are far-reaching.
“They undermine democratic processes, sow discord within communities, and pose significant threats to public health and safety.
“Today, even the media is at the risk of losing its credibility because of the proliferation of fake news on the Social Media
“Therefore, the media, as custodians of the public trust, must take decisive action to combat the scourge of disinformation and misinformation,” he said
Mohammed said that social media platforms and other intermediaries accountable for their role in amplifying disinformation and misinformation should be held responsible
According to him, they should be checkmated through robust regulatory frameworks to curb the spread of false information while safeguarding freedom of expression.
He admonished social media platforms to prioritise the integrity of information over profit motives and take proactive measures to detect and remove harmful content from their platforms.
