Minister of labour and employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said for Nigeria to “kill fake news”, all fake accounts in social media must be shut down.
Keyamo declared that to “kill fake news, it is important to kill fake accounts.”
The minister spoke at the commencement of a training for journalists, titled, “Balancing Ethics and Patriotism: Obligations of Journalists to their Country”, organised by the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa.
Keyamo, who was represented by Niyi Fatongun, said even though social media has come to stay, the platforms were operating without gatekeepers.
“Social media has come to stay and it is a good thing. However, today people can get their views out to the public without restrictions, but It comes with responsibility. Social media has sidelined the gatekeepers.
“To kill fake news, it is important to kill fake accounts, fake news is capable of destroying the fabric of a nation,” Keyamo said.
According to him, “Social media owners should be able to identify all their users as a way to tackle fake news.”
Also, the country director of the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, John Maiyaki said fake news could trigger crises.
He said they were empowering Nigerian-based journalists to combat fake news, stating that disinformation can trigger crises.
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