By Lucky Isibor,
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Edo state, Elder Samuel Eboigbe has urges the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC to wake up to it’s statutory responsibilities and put machinery in place to check the incidence of fake news which has assumed a frightening and damaging dimension.
He also appealed to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN and Ministry of Information to collaborate with NBC in ensuring that the purveyors of fake news are not allowed to use their fake news to disrupt the nation’s socio-economic and political lives.
Elder Eboigbe gave the charge in a statement to news men in Benin on Thursday, October 3, 2019.
According to him, “the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission must wake up to it’s statutory responsibility by setting up a monitoring desk to censor every news that is published.”
While stressing the need for all hands to be on deck to fight fake news and it’s carriers, Elder Eboigbe said,”the effects of fake news is becoming worrisome. One would recall how many Nigerians have been deceived and scammed by fake news advert on the social media. One of such was the recent advert by TETFUNDS calling for scholarship application for prospective students which turned out to be fake.
“Again, when the issue of xenophobia started in South Africa, it was negativity reported in the social media that the South African embassy in Abuja was burnt down. Until the report was faulted, almost everyone in Nigeria was worried, embarrassed and troubled.”
While appealing to governments at all levels and media practitioners to find a way of check mating the producers of fake news, the APC chieftain noted that fake news is dangerous and harmful to the society as it can cause war and destabilize the nation if not checked stressing that positive news will engender national cohesion, unity and enhance security of lives and property.
