Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, says no other country is as liberal as Nigeria in granting media access to information.
Speaking Thursday at the 41st United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) general conference in Paris, Mohammed said fake news and disinformation has reached an alarming rate around the world.
The minister said the advent of new, unregulated media has made fake news worse, as social media platforms have become the medium of choice for “fake news agents”.
He called on UNESCO to use its global platform to join the fight against the spread of fake news.
“UNESCO must help governments and the public by placing as much emphasis as possible on combating fake news,” he said.
“In addition to the roles of improving access to information and protecting journalists, UNESCO should come up with ways to deal with fake news.
“The challenge is how to deal with the double evil of fake news and disinformation which has the capacity to cause unrest and destroy the essence of society.
“Nigeria is completely different from the way it is viewed from the outside.
“We have yet to see any country more liberal than Nigeria granting access to information to the media, even among developed countries.
“For 10 years, I was the spokesperson for the opposition and I have never been imprisoned.
“Right now we have an extremely tolerant government as it is the government that is at the mercy of the media in Nigeria.
He also said that there are at least “145 publications online” devoted to the “harassment” of the Nigerian government and the use of platforms as tools to destabilize the country.
