From Jude Owuamanam, Managing Editor, Northern Operations
JOS (Sundiata Post) – Experts in the information industry have expressed grave concern over the use of social media in the promotion of hate speeches. They warned that if the trend was not checked, the prospect of conducting a free and fair election in 2019 may be in serious jeopardy.
The information managers who spoke at the end of their extraordinary meeting of the National Council on Information, recommended stringent measures should be used in checking conventional media and their programmes.
These were some of the resolutions contained in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information. with the theme, ‘Hate speeches, fake news and national unity.’
The communique was signed by the NCI Chairman in the Federal Ministry of Information, Abdulyekin Umar, and representatives from the six geopolitical zones and obtained by Sundiata Post in Jos.
Other signatories include Donatus Okpe, Kogi State (North-Central); Lawal Ibrahim, Kano State (North West); Tajudeen Sokunbi, Ogun State (South-West); Ifeanyi Agbai, Abia State (South-East); Ibrahim Buba, Adamawa State (North-East) and Paulinus Nsirim, Rivers State (South-South).
The communique read in part, “The social media may take over the 2019 elections because Nigerian people have come to rely more and believe the social media over the conventional media. It will be better to kill quickly whatever postings on social media assumed or presumed to be hate speeches or fake news or misinformation by the information managers in various states. We are suggesting the setting up of a council to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria.
“The federal and state ministries of information should use jingles to promote peace and also come up with cartoons on the television and newspapers telling us the dangers of fake news and hate speeches.”
The communique added, “The collaboration must start with the National Orientation Agency and the state governments. There is also the need to start talking to those responsible for law and enforcement of justice to address the issue of citizens taking the laws into their own hands.”
The meting, which was declared open by the Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Prof Sonny Tyoden had in attendance the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, some state information commissioners and managers of media organisations.
