Information is a major aspect of human existence. It informs, guides, and creates the needed awareness on a variety of issues. This information sent out in the public domain could misinform (unknowingly) or could disinform (intentionally) people if not properly managed.
Disinformation, otherwise known as fake news, is a deliberate attempt to present a statement of fact as though it is untrue or dress a lie to be seen as truth in a malicious but deceitful approach.
In recent times, information through the media, when misinformed or disinformed, can be huge warfare capable of wreaking havoc on individuals, a group of people, and even on the economy.
Over 200 million people are a huge population, with Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigeria has over 140 million internet subscribers.
Bearing in mind that over 76 million adults in Nigeria are illiterates, it gives concern about the authenticity, genuineness, and integrity of the news we see on media, most especially, in the social media space in Nigeria.
Anyone, anyhow, anywhere can spread information on media space with little or no concern for its implications for individuals, businesses, and Nigeria on a larger note.
This is a growing but sad trend that needs to be addressed by stakeholders, government, and Nigerians.
Fake news, propaganda, and smear campaigns have taken over the media space in Nigeria.
Influence operations are now a big market with blossoming prospects for the future at the dare expense of their victims who are usually individuals, businesses and in the long run, our dear country Nigeria.
People benefit and feed on slandering others falsely and crumble individual integrity and business entities that may have taken decades to build and sustain.
As Nigeria approaches the 2023 election, more of this disinformation will occupy Nigeria’s media space, spreading falsehood capable of setting ethnic groups, religions, individuals, rivals, and institutions against themselves.
This challenge with fake news is a global issue and predates the advent of phones and social media as it is as old as the world itself. The worry now is that the rising spate of fake news in Nigeria has been enabled by high adult illiteracy, unhealthy rivalry, the proliferation of media houses, unverifiable news sources, advancements in technology, low digital literacy, and the growing influence of social media in Nigeria, and other reasons.
The impact of fake news is damaging. For example, many Nigerians believed that the global COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax. Some were equally made to believe that Nigeria is being led by Jibril Al Sudani from Sudan since the rumour of the death of President Buhari in 2018.
All these falsehoods were spread across Nigeria with photoshopped and doctored materials, pictures, and videos to deceive the public. The Nigerian business environment is also not free from fake news.
Fake news has damaged the reputation of many businesses in Nigeria, some have recovered and some failed to recover from these sad trends. Some organizations and companies have had their revenues drop drastically, reduced patronage, and business closure on some occasions. It has been largely responsible for communal, ethnic, and religious crises.
The Rwanda genocide remains a perfect example. Four students of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State in October 2012 were wrongly accused of stealing and cultism but were later discovered to be false after they had already been lynched over false information.
In November 2020, a food vendor, Chikaodili Nwankwo narrated how fake news almost ruined her petty business in Anambra State after she was wrongly accused of cooking food with water used in bathing dead bodies from an unnamed mortuary. The unchecked and unregulated activities of online bloggers, unverifiable media sources, and social media have worsened the issue.
In 2019, the Federal Government of Nigeria proposed a plan to regulate social media, and a bill was sent to the National Assembly but the outcry from the Nigerian public ensured the bill was suspended, as it was considered an attempt to gag the media and deny free speech as a fundamental human right.
Individuals, media houses, social media giants, and the government must accept responsibility and share the blame for not doing enough to address the problem of fake news.
There must be stiffer sanctions for culprits, public awareness and enlightenment must engage with the Nigerian masses on the dangers of fake news, improvement in the level of education will help individuals and organizations to vet information and fact-check broadcast messages with no verifiable sources.
Fake news is information warfare that has affected the Nigerian economic, social and political space negatively and must be fought by all well-meaning Nigerians to save the country from economic, social, political, and religious collapse.
Alikor Victor is a development & health economist.
