Information minister says misinformation and hate speech threaten the peace, unity, security and corporate existence of Nigerians
A man raises a ballot paper during the counting of governorship and state assembly election results in Lagos, Nigeria March 9 2019. Picture: REUTERS/Adelaja TemiladeMisinformation risks worsening ethnic and religious tensions in Nigeria, media commentators and researchers say, at a time of heightened concern about internal security and fragile community relations.
Information minister Lai Mohammed said misinformation and hate speech “threatens the peace, unity, security and corporate existence of Nigerians”. Misinformation – deliberate or not – is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria. In November 1989, state broadcaster NTA announced the death of Nnamdi Azikiwe, the country’s first governor-general and president after independence in 1960. By morning, most of the newspapers were running the story but Zik, as he was known, was very much alive and would live for another seven years.
Fredrick Nwabufo, a political analyst and columnist, said it was an open secret that Nigeria’s two main political parties ran media centres to pump out misinformation during the election. He agreed there was a risk the practice could escalate ethnic and religious tensions. A recurrent claim against Buhari, who is also a Muslim from the north, is that he wants to Islamise all of Nigeria and extend Sharia law across the country.
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