By David Orji
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has described fake news as being more catastrophic in destroying nations even faster than guns.
Akpabio stated this when he address online publishers when they converged on Abuja for their 2023 annual conference.
He was represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh. “Indeed, fake news kills faster than the gun. I dare say that fake news can be a channel for mass destruction, hence I urge all of us to treat it (fake news) as a dangerous weapon for the destruction of the society,” he said just as he invited online publishers to join the task of eradicating fake news in the country.
Akpabio demanded collaboration with online publishers saying that is the best way to curb the menace and the save the society.
Akpabio said, “as journalists often fish out the bad ones among the political elite, they should not shy away from identifying the bad eggs among themselves if they intend to sanitise the news business.
“Beloved gentlemen of the press, I dare say that you must not be shy in this task. As you regularly try to fish out the malfeasances among those of us in the political class and other segments of society, I plead with you to also carry out the same self-cleansing exercise by not just identifying the fakes purveyors in your midst, but also by helping the National Assembly to fashion out a framework to curtail this practice.”
While citing the instance of a recent report saying his wife now has an office at the senate, Akpabio said as a political actor, he has been victim of fake news many times. He added that if he and his colleagues are able to survive the fake news menace, many other Nigerians may not be that lucky.
“As a political actor, I have severally been the victim of fake news marketed by some sections of the media including some of you here, albeit maybe ignorantly, for example.”
Akpabio demanded collaboration with online publishers saying that is the best way to curb the menace and the save the society.