People using fake news, hate speech to destabilizse Nigeria, says Lai Mohammed

Nigeria’s information minister Lai Mohammad on Thursday said “fake news, disinformation and hate speech” are used by “naysayers” to destabilise the country.

“This is not accidental: Fake news, disinformation and hate speech have become the weapons of choice to create tension in the polity and to destabilize the country,” Mohammed told reporters in Abuja.

“And those behind it, the naysayers, are not about to relent,” he added.

The minister was speaking about the deteriorating security situation in parts of the country which he says is being aggravated by fake news and characterized by hate speech.

By all indications, Nigeria is presently one of the unsecured nations in the world.

At least 245 persons were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria in January 2020, according to various newspaper reports and available records, Premium Times reported.

According to the Expat Insider Survey of 2019 by InterNations, Nigeria is the third most dangerous country in the world due to widespread corruption and insecurity.

Apart from the resurgent Boko Haram attacks in the North-east, there have been increased cases of killings and kidnappings across the country.

Amidst the insecurity, the Presidency said Nigerians have reasons to be grateful as the security situation is better than it was before Buhari assumed office.

Mohammed also shared similar sentiment, stating that the security situation is being tackled “headlong”.

“There have been some red herrings in recent times, including those calling for the resignation of Mr President or the sack of the service chiefs.”

Nigerian Senate’s minority leader, Eyinnaya Abaribe, recently called on the President to resign over the spiking insecurity.

But Mohammed insisted that such a call showed that “these people are stuck in the pre-election mode and “continue to use these weapons to put Nigeria on edge.”