The federal government has announced that it will not relent until those behind the fake news phenomenon in the country are exposed and brought to justice. But while the need to fight the fake news problem in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, the government’s new strategy will not give the desired outcome.

The Minister for Communication, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, went ahead to describe the fake news phenomenon as ‘the scourge of our times’ noting that it would “probably get worse in the months ahead.” And he was right in his assessment of the problem.

However, in February, Lai Mohammed explained that in order to combat fake news the government “must pay adequate attention to communication strategies and have our people who will be very active also on the social media.”

When the minister stated the above as a way of tackling fake news, arresting and prosecuting alleged purveyors of fake news was not a part of it. Ventures Africa argued that threatening to sue producers of fake news would result in nothing but needless aggression, pointing out that there are better and more efficient ways to shut down rumour mongers.

Making arrests will not stop the spread of fake news, rather it will arm such offenders with more ammunition to attack the government. Arresting fake news peddlers will simply be perceived as a witch hunt for those speaking against the government.

In recent times, some state governments have ordered the arrest of  bloggers and social media influencers over alleged false posts. These arrests were met with uproar and accusations of stifling the press. A situation more likely to create bigger  problems for the government. Such actions could also cause many  Nigerians to lose faith in the government.

The federal government should rather endeavor to enforce some of its recent communications strategies that are geared towards generating direct engagement with the Nigerian audience.

Key government officials including the president may need to take a cue from US president Donald’s Trump’s dealings on social media. Trump often speaks directly to the people through his twitter handles and Facebook pages, thereby relying less on media aides.

For instance, the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun’s initiative to hold Facebook live interviews in order to directly interact with Nigerians is a good way to bridge the information gap. More government appointees need to take advantage of this medium to directly reach out to Nigerians in order better explain government policies.

It would also be recalled that an information app meant to track the government’s activities was launched on December 15, 2016. The minister said the launching of the app would stop the misrepresentation and dissemination of falsehood on the activities of the present administration.

“We as a government and as Information Ministry will leverage on the unique technology to inform the world about what we are doing. With this new app it means anybody anywhere the world will get to know what we are doing, the real time of what is happening in Nigeria at least from our own end and perspective.”

The question now is how many Nigerians rely on this app for day to day account of activities in the government? The App has about fifty thousand downloads that is poor for an app which should cater for the information needs of millions of Nigerians.

These strategies may not have begun to yield the desired results. But the federal government should not undermine these strategies that are meant to match fake news with the correct stories by going after bloggers.

It is pertinent to point out that fake news thrives when there’s an information vacuum. The plethora of media aides usually dishing out questionable information and alternative facts have contributed in providing feed for the fake news mill. They need to constantly fact check whatever information that they wish to share with the public.

It will take time, aggressive promotion and reliability to make these strategies popular enough to withstand the onslaught of fake news. In order to achieve the right amount of progress, the government’s media team must endeavour to be truthful in the face of false information circulating on the internet.

The current administration should not be baited into making obscure bloggers famous by arresting them, rather it should find ways to acquire the desired social media presence that curators of fake news have. Optimum use of traditional media could also go a long way in tackling the issue of fake news in Nigeria.

Elsewhere on Ventures

Triangle arrow