Disinformation, Fake News Destroying Nigeria - Pantami

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has said that the country's global value is threatened by fake news and disinformation. 

He said the country is losing potential investors due to the sharing of fake news.

Pantami made this known today in Abuja at a ministerial panel of the on-going UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Week.

The Minister who spoke on the topic, “National Media and Information Literacy Frameworks, Sustaining Beyond Disinformation” said the advent of social media had increased the peddling of fake news in the country. 

He explained that the social media had given everyone licence to become a journalist while fabricating stories for public consumption. 

He also lamented how people become used to spreading of negative news around. 

Pantami also noted the recent incidence in respect of the security alert announced by the United States embassy. 

He said both local and international media had circulated the information freely without verification or considering its negative result. 

As reported the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Pantami said: "Most of the schools yesterday were shut down but we are grateful to the Almighty God, nothing happened.

“This type of unverified information has its dire implication on the economic development of our country as well as its perception globally."

The Minister also noted that security challenges were not bound to Nigeria alone, adding that the developed countries that were issuing the unverified security alerts had their own challenge of security, including school shootings but they managed it effectively.