The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has described fact checking as preventive measures to combat the menace of disinformation, misinformation and fake news in the country.
The Director-General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari said this on Tuesday at the Fact Checking Course Three programme organised by the agency in Abuja.
Garba, who was represented by the Director of Procurement, Mrs Remi Afolabi, said the third session of the capacity building course aimed at raising an army of patriots who would work towards curbing the menace of hate speech, fake news and cyber crimes.
He stressed that NOA vanguard role was to curb fake news, hate speech and cybercrime.
According to him, with this responsibility, the agency included the task of training 1,000 fact checkers in each state of the federation including Federal Capital Territory.
” Nigeria and indeed the world finds itself today on the battle field of misinformation, disinformation, fake news and hate speech.
” The upsurge of fake news in our country has assumed alarming and dangerous proportion, capable of heating up the polity and destroying the fabric of our national peace and unity.
” Fake news, as the name implies, is very main at causing instigate, cause hate, anger and acrimony with the main aim of causing disaffection, division , violence and war,” Abari said.
He noted that fake news was outright falsehood, distorted or alternative facts purveyed as authentic news intended to mislead people, cause disaffection, confusion and chaos.
” Although fake news has been with us over time , the advent of the internet, especially the social media has encouraged its spread like wild fire.
” This is further exacerbated by the use of religion, ethnic and political platforms to promote these negative values,” he added.
According to him, prevention is perferable to cure, as with medicine, so it is with misinformation; it is better to prevent misinformation from spreading at all, than to try to debunk it once it spread.
Abari appealed to all Nigerians, especially the elites, to rise above every form of parochialism and promote issues of national interest , peace , unity and development.
He also urged the media, civil society, state and non -state actors, stakeholders in the Nigerian project, to work collectively in defeating fake news, hate speech and merchants of violence and war.
” We must together do everything possible to strengthen our democracy and ensure that the present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is accorded every support.
” Also cooperation to consolidate on the gains of his first tenure and succeed in addressing the myriad of the challenges confronting the country.
” The fight against corruption and insecurity must of necessity, also include the fight against fake news, which is a collective responsibility for all of us,” NOA boss said.
Mr Christopher Isiguzo, the President, Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ), in his goodwill message, said fake news should not have a place “in our lives because the purpose of fake news is to cause division.”
Isiguzo, who was represented by Mr Dele Atunbi, urged the media to be mindful of the information they dished out, rather they should cross check the information if it was true or not.
” Your integrity is at stake, do not spread any news that is not factual.”
Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, the Executive Director, Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (Dubawa), commended the management of NOA for collaborating with them in building capacity in the area of fact checking.
Olorunyomi, who was represented by Oluwatosin Alagbe, the Programme Director ( PTCIJ) said the programme would go a long way in helping to check fake news and misinformation.
Meanwhile, Mrs Mette Edekosi, the Director Special Duties/ State Operations, in her welcome address, said NOA was working tirelessly in making sure it contributed its quota to the task of building a nation that generations yet unborn would take pride in.
” Our nation is best by mind boggling security challenges, fuelled by disinformation, misinformation, fake news and hate speech.
” Even as our Military Forces are doing their uttermost best in Kinetic response, the rest of us have a responsibility to support them by not buying easily into the narratives of criminal elements, whose intent is to turn us against each other and destroy our country,” she said.
According to her, Nigeria has come a long way, we need to occasionally look back at where we are coming from, in order to find a motivation for where we are going.
” We need not to return to the mistake and dark spot of the past, rather we need to strive to sustain what our forefathers have built.
” We need to strive and wax stronger as Nigerians, so we can stand tall as the giant of Africa, ” she added.
She said that NOA was implementing serveral engagement sessions to enlighten the public on the advantages of verifying information before sharing.
NAN reports that NOA had earlier on held the Course One/ Two programmes for selected participants from government establishments, Civil Society Organisations and the private sector in Abuja.(NAN)