The social networking site, Facebook, has pledged to partner with Federal Government to check the spread of fake news and misleading reports in the wake of the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who announced this at a news briefing in Abuja on Friday, said it’s obvious that the purveyors of fake news will scale up their act to create panic and spread disinformation, following the confirmation of the disease in Nigeria.
“We know that at times like this, purveyors of fake news and disinformation usually ramp up their acts. We are therefore urging Nigerians not to fall for the antics of purveyors of fakes news and disinformation
“Fortunately, Facebook is working with us in this regard. They have asked Nigerians to report any false or misleading report on Facebook and Instagram pages so they can immediately bring them down.
“They have also assured us that they are taking preemptive action to remove any false or harmful messages about this epidemic and public health in Nigeria 24/7. All that Nigerians are required to do is to flag any false or misleading report on the epidemic and Facebook will remove any such report,” the minister said.
The Minister further informed that media agencies of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, like the NTA, FRCN, NAN, and VON, have been directed to intensify their ongoing sensitization and enlightenment campaigns to arm Nigerians with the necessary information to stay well.
Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja
