Fake news has become so weaponised today and it is practically taking over the media space of both conventional and online media. The presence of online and social media has made it so potent that in a matter of seconds, fake and concocted news take over the media space.
The gullible public hops on it and it is shared endlessly. Its potency and viral strength drowns any other source of information and it is accepted as the truth. It is more than a herculean task to counter fake news and give detailed or truthful accounts of events already marred by fake news. This fake news industry is sadly not limited to Nigeria or Africa alone, it has become a worldwide phenomenon and even the present build up to the American elections has both democratic and republican campaigns manipulating fake news to their own benefits.
Headlines are set up as click baits, cornering readers to accept the fallacious headlines without even reading the contents. Most times the contents of the click baits are as damaging as the headlines. It is only safe for one to make clear judgements over a news item after 48 hours, as numerous other versions spring up. 48 hours also gives enough time for the subject or object of the fake news to put issues or matters more clearly.
I’ve seen how damaging fake news can be from the recent face-off between Sokoto State government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The opposition pushed a viral story about the government awarding a contract of N30 billion for street fencing. The media space was agog with castigations and even abuses, as to why such a bogus contract for street fencing when the populace is wallowing in poverty.
Shouldn’t it be invested in agriculture and youth employment? The Sokoto government was “beaten” to a pulp from both online and offline commentary. Lo and behold, the state government produced the award letter of the fencing contract. The amount? N866 million. How do you take the public’s mind off the N30 billion earlier spewed around? The damage has been done already and the earlier N30 billion which suits the narrative of the opposition takes centre stage.
This is coming just a week after another contract controversy in the state. This was over the World Bank/Sokoto Acresal project which was awarded at N1.2 billion. Yes the governor did not cover the entire items covered by the programme, and this gave the opposition another avenue to malign the government over frivolous spending. The World Bank project is a universal project which is carried out in all the states. The costs are the same. The opposition went viral with the news that N1.2 billion was expended in the repair of boreholes. No matter how hard the state tried in correcting this fake news, its efforts kept being drowned by public outcry and the opposition’s dance over the incorrect information making the rounds. The state tried to explain that solar motorised boreholes were constructed with perimeter fencing, and an additional shelter belt in 25 different locations. But it was almost like crying over spilt milk, the damage had been done. The N30 billion fencing news came just at the back of the borehole controversy, clearly in an effort to ride on the heat of the public ire generated by the World Bank/ Sokoto State Government Acresal project.
A former adviser of the federal government went to press with the news that $69 billion of Nigeria’s stolen funds is stashed away by an individual in various banks. How? What was Nigeria’s total oil revenue in the last administration’s tenure? So, Nigerians have perfected the art of throwing bogus figures to gaslight the public into believing the narratives they intend to sell. The said adviser had fallen out with the former administration and he was relieved of his duties. What way to fight back? Create fake and incriminating information about the previous government. The way the media space, especially online media, are allowed to run the space with fake and concocted news items leaves much to be desired. It has to be regulated properly. One’s right to free speech should not infringe on the rights of the next person, not to talk of abusing, denigrating or incriminating them.
Public opinion is usually in adversity to the way government policies and programmes are run. Public opinion is therefore gullible and ready to be taken for manipulation. Sokoto is having a hard time putting out the proper records out there, especially with a hardline opposition that is manipulating the media space. So it has to change its approach towards handling the scourge of fake news trying to consume it.
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