The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has made it known to Nigerians in Diaspora that 80 percent of what they read on social media are fake news and asked them to stop depending on them about the country.
The minister, who spoke in Washington, the United States of America at a meeting with the Nigeria Ambassador to USA, Justice Sylvanus Nsofor and the Embassy’s members of staff, said that social media are, largely purveyors of fake news and misinformation, which could threaten the peace of a nation.
Lai Mohammed stressed that social media is aggravating the Nigeria situation creating the impression that the country is at war, ethnic and religious crises.
“Fake news and misinformation when mixed with hate speech threaten the peace, unity, security and corporate existence of Nigerians.
“Many people in the Diaspora depend a lot on Social media for news about Nigeria. However, 80 per cent of what you read on social media is fake.
“Please, we implore you to visit our website information, where you can find information that is genuine about Nigeria.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting is on the sideline of a High-Level Roundtable attended by the minister, organized by the Atlantic Council, an American think tank on international affairs.
Source: NAN.
