THE #ENDSARS PROTESTS BROUGHT HOME THE DANGERS OF FAKE NEWS – MINISTER OF YOUTHS AND SPORTS, SUNDAY DARE
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has said the #EndSARS protests held across the country brought home the dangers of fake news.
The Minister disclosed this on Monday, November 2, during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily.
He stated that the question of fake news is worrisome not only in Nigeria but every part of the world.
“The protests brought home the dangers of fake news. Several months back, Nobel Laureate Winner, Professor Wole Soyinka said fake news is like the bomb that can destroy the world and it is sure that the bomb will come from Nigeria.
“What happened during the protests has been reviewed to a certain extent. We have seen debunking of several of the stories of deaths that came up.
“Everyone is worried about the negative impacts of fake news,” he said.
The Minister noted that every country is dealing with fake news and in Nigeria; the National Assembly will do justice to the proposed regulation of social media to guard against the spread of fake news.
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“The talk around regulation, of course, we have a National Assembly, it will have to go through the normal process. We have a constitution, they will have to make sure it does not violate certain provisions of the constitution that has to do with freedom of expression.
“Where you have fake news destroying lives, the government has a responsibility to make sure that there is a level of control. It is not censorship but some level of control,” the minister stated.
This comes barely one week after Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture; Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the Federal Government plans to regulate the use of Social Media.
The Minister noted that the move was imperative to curb the spread of hate speech and fake news from Nigerians.
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