TheCable

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has asked Google and Meta — owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — to curb the spread of fake news ahead of Nigeria’s general election.

Speaking on Friday at a meeting with representatives of the companies in his office in Abuja, Mohammed said the misuse of these social applications is of “great concern” to stakeholders.

The minister said the platforms should work with the security agencies to take down posts that are inciting.

“The use, or misuse, of these platforms is therefore of great concern to all stakeholders in the elections, and that’s why we have invited you here, so we can all jointly work to ensure a responsible use of these platforms so that they don’t become the platforms of choice for purveyors of fake news and disinformation,” he said.

“For example, candidates’ campaign speeches are doctored to portray them in bad light, video clips and pictures of campaign rallies are tampered with to make them look poorly attended; fake or unscientific opinion polls are concocted, while threats of violence in certain parts of the country are exaggerated — all of which are then circulated via social media to a wide audience, with the aim of making their target candidates look bad, influencing public perception or even suppressing votes in certain areas.

“In other words, there has been a gross abuse of social media platforms to purvey fake news and disinformation ahead of the elections.”

The minister asked the companies to give more visibility to posts of organisations like his ministry, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

“These actions, if executed, will go a long way in checking the proliferation of fake news and disinformation on social media ahead, during and after the elections,” Mohammed said.

On her part, Dawn Dimowo, a representative of Google, said her organisation is ready to work with other stakeholders to ensure the elections are credible.