| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by pauljumbo: 8:45am On Jul 23, 2017 |
vedaxcool:
You have spoken another lie again... when will you leave tribalism? If lai can brief us about the true state of the president health now there will be no room for disinformation 7 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by vedaxcool(m): 8:48am On Jul 23, 2017 |
pauljumbo:
If lai can brief us about the true state of the president health now there will be no room for disinformation Keep white washing lies as disinformation. ... so in your village when you have no information on a subject you begin to create lies? Like Lai Muhammad said these lies are being sponsored by disgruntled politicians. |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by pauljumbo: 8:54am On Jul 23, 2017 |
vedaxcool:
Keep white washing lies as disinformation. ... so in your village when you have no information on a subject you begin to create lies? Like Lai Muhammad said these lies are being sponsored by disgruntled politicians. you can not run governance in a vacuum if a minister of information decide to keep mum in a very serious issue like president health he creates room for such disinformation 4 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Ikology(m): 8:55am On Jul 23, 2017 |
agabusta:
Hate speech, fake news and national unity – Lai Mohammed
By Lai Mohammed
This theme, HATE SPEECH, FAKE NEWS AND NATIONAL UNITY, was well chosen to bring to the fore the looming danger facing our country from what has now become the scourge of our time. Though I have repeatedly called attention, at many fora, to the dangers posed by the menace of the now pervasive hate speech, disinformation and fake news, no one gave the issue the attention it deserves until it started threatening the very foundation of our national unity.
3.It was Gina Greenlee who said ‘’experience is a master teacher, even if it is not our own.’’ I am sure many here have heard or read about how hate speech and incitement to violence played a significant role in the 1994 genocide that left at least 800,000 people dead in Rwanda. Well, it is worth rehashing here for the purpose of this discourse.
4.Anti-Tutsi articles and cartoons in the Kangura newspaper, as well as hate speech and incitement to violence on the radio station called RTLMC – Radio-Television Libres des Mille Collines (Thousand Hills Free Radio and Television) helped to set the stage for that genocide.
The station was set up by hard-line Hutu extremists, and received the backing of many rich and prominent people in that country. Those who saw the danger posed by the station called for it to be shut down, but against the backdrop of freedom of speech, such calls fell on deaf ears, until it was too late. Some 23 years later, Rwanda is yet to fully recover from the impact of the genocide, triggered by hate speech and senseless incitement to violence.
5. In Nigeria today, the hate being spewed on radio stations across the country is so alarming. If you tune into many radio stations, you will be shocked by the things being said, the careless incitement to violence and the level of insensitivity to the multi-religious, multi-ethnic nature of our country. Unfortunately, even the hosts of such radio programmes do little or nothing to stop. Oftentimes, they are willing collaborators of hate speech campaigners. This must not be allowed to continue because it is detrimental to the unity and well-being of our country.
6. Disinformation and Fake News: Let me use my own personal experiences to make these more vivid. On Wednesday, 26 April 2017, after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, I briefed State House Correspondents on what transpired at the meeting. I said, among others, that President Muhammadu Buhari did not preside over the day’s meeting because he decided to work from home that day. In reporting my briefing, one of the correspondents quoted me as saying the President would work from home henceforth, rather than on that day only. The reporting generated a lot of uproar, until I issued a rebuttal. This is a clear case of disinformation – which is defined as false information deliberately spread to deceive the people.
7. The following month, after I had briefed State House Correspondents on the proceedings of another Council meeting, one newspaper’s headline went thus: ‘’We do not know who will sign the 2017 budget – Lai Mohammed.’’ This is at variance with what I said. When I was asked a question relating to the signing of the 2017 budget, my exact words were: ‘’When it is transmitted to the Presidency, a decision will be taken.’’ The reporting is another clear case of disinformation.
8. Also in May 2017, I travelled to China on official assignment. I had just arrived in that country, after a long flight, when I started receiving calls from Nigeria, seeking my reaction to a story making the rounds in the Social Media, quoting me as saying that though President Muhammadu Buhari is in a London hospital, he is using Made-in-Nigeria drugs. I purportedly made the comment in an interview with Channels Television, after the Federal Government’s launch of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign in Abuja a few days earlier.
At first, I chose to ignore the story, saying Nigerians would easily see the folly of it. But the phone calls from Nigeria became more frequent and more intense, to such an extent that they could no longer be ignored. I had to put a call through to Mr. John Momoh, and Channels Television promptly issued a rebuttal, saying it neither interviewed me nor carried any such story. This is a clear case of fake news.
9. Many here will also recall the quantum of hate speech directed at candidate Buhari during the last electioneering campaign. Never in the history of electioneering campaign in Nigeria has such a quantum of hate speech been directed at any candidate. This did not stop even when he won the election and became President. For instance, the President had hardly left Nigeria for his vacation in London on 19 January 2017, during which he said he would have routine medical check-up, when these hate and fake news campaigners circulated the news that he has died. Between then and now, they have repeated similar fakes news times without number.
10. Let me be clear: all the instances I have cited did not happen by accident. No! They were all orchestrated. And who better to target than the President himself, or the official spokesperson of his government! The campaign is a multi-million naira project and the people behind this string of hate speech, disinformation and fake news are not about to stop. In fact, they will become more vicious in the days, weeks and months ahead. And what is the purpose of their campaign? Simply to discredit the government, destabilize the polity and make the country ungovernable. There is no doubt that the resurgent push for separatism as well as rising cases of ethnic and religious disharmony are all traceable to the growing phenomenon of hate speech, as well as the disinformation and fake news campaign.
11. The latest instance of this vicious campaign occurred last week. During my visit to the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) House in Lagos last Saturday, I had said that any programme tagged Nigerian or local content programme, which is meant for the consumption of Nigerians, must be produced in Nigeria, rather than in foreign countries. The hate speech, disinformation and fake news campaigners quickly distorted what I said and went ahead to report that the Federal Government has decided to ban the production of music videos and films outside the countries. Gullible and malleable commentators, many of them recruited by the campaigners, went to town abusing me and the federal government, without even trying to know the truth. Such is the tragedy of our time.
12. Now, what do these phenomena of hate speech, disinformation and fake news have in common? They are all capable of destabilizing the system, inciting people to violence and weakening the people’s confidence in their government, just like I said earlier. Let me quote how a German newspaper described this phenomenon: ‘’For a society in which people are informed mainly through the media – and form their political opinions through it – this process is threatened when lies spread through the media. When it is no longer clear what is false and what is correct, people lose their confidence in the state’’.
13. Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Nigeria is a country of ethnic and religious diversity. That should be a source of strength, if the fault lines are not deliberately being exposed and exploited by those who are bent on setting the people against themselves, using their new-found tools of hate speech, disinformation and fake news. These dangerous trend is threatening the very foundation of our national unity. It is daily pushing the nation close to the precipice, perhaps more than at any other time since the end of the civil war.
14. What is the way out? We all must say NO to hate speech, either on our radio and television stations, newspapers, the Social Media, on our phones or in the public space. We must be resolute in tackling the canker-worm of hate speech, disinformation and fake news. We as government information managers must embark on a relentless campaign against these evil tendencies at our various levels, whether federal or state. We must boycott any medium that engages in hate speech, incitement to violence, disinformation and fake news. The regulators must also be alive to their responsibilities by promptly sanctioning the purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news. Yes, our constitution allows freedom of speech and this government believes in it, but freedom of speech must not be allowed to become freedom of irresponsibility.
15. On the part of the federal government, the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has recently undertaken a series of engagements with all stakeholders to defuse the tension cause by these tendencies, and his efforts have gone a long way in calming frayed nerves, especially in the aftermath of the attacks and counter-attacks by various groups across the country. We must replicate this kind of engagement in our various states.
16. As a follow-up to the efforts of the Acting President, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture is planning a series of engagements with the media, to educate and sensitize them to the dangers posed to the unity of the country by hate speech, disinformation and fake news. Needless to say that we are also appealing to the media, the traditional media in particular, to show responsibility by repudiating the freewheeling and out-of-control purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.
Unlike the Social Media, the traditional media is subject to the rigours of accuracy, fact-checking and fairness, among others. Sadly, even a section of the traditional media now apes the hate campaigners by lifting their unverified or distorted news and dumping such on their readers. This is not right.
17. A section of the tradition media is also now thriving on anti-government tendency. If you pick up copies of some newspapers, you will think the government of the day is doing nothing at all to alleviate the sufferings of the people, occasioned by the economic downturn. They ignore any positive actions of government, including the massive investment in infrastructure like roads and railways, and instead focus on anything that will make the government look bad. Instead of reporting the news freely and fairly, they have constituted themselves to an opposition bloc.
18. Let me note that it is only because we have a peaceful country that we have journalists, doctors, teachers, lawyers, etc all practising their trade. If we allow our country to be plunged into crisis just because of the antics of an irresponsible few, neither the journalists nor any other professionals will be able to practice thei profession. This is the blunt truth. We all have a stake in this country, hence we must not allow hate campaigners and purveyors of fake news and disinformation to drag the country down with them.
19. Your Excellency, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I thank you most sincerely for listening. Permit me to now declare open this extra-ordinary meeting of the National Council on Information. I wish us all fruitful deliberations. •Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, delivered this speech at the extra-ordinary meeting of the National Council on Information, held in Jos.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/hate-speech-fake-news-national-unity/
Seun, Mynd44, OAM4J, lalasticlala Nairaland needs to give this some publicity
He is the inventor of hate speech in our political clime. Our memories is intact. The Senior Agbero in bourdillon Ikoyi bankrolled and championed hate speeches and misinformation. Whatever goes around, surely comes around. ACN/APC/El-Rufai, you people must be held responsible. 6 Likes 1 Share |
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| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by googlepikins: 9:05am On Jul 23, 2017 |
vedaxcool:
Keep white washing lies as disinformation. ... so in your village when you have no information on a subject you begin to create lies? Like Lai Muhammad said these lies are being sponsored by disgruntled politicians. is Buhari the president of your village or the president of Nigeria. Why use our money to treat him since he belongs to his cabals 2 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Sapiosexuality(m): 9:22am On Jul 23, 2017 |
See who is talking about Hate Speech, Fake News and National Unity. Was it not this same man that indirectly supported Boko Haram during GEJ? The same people who told us GEJ was training snipers and heated up the system are talking of fake news. But the truth is, Lai can't win this war. It's above him now. If Buhari was competent, it would have been easier to win it. 5 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by vedaxcool(m): 9:47am On Jul 23, 2017 |
[s] pauljumbo:
you can not run governance in a vacuum
if a minister of information decide to keep mum in a very serious issue like president health
he creates room for such disinformation [/s] I am done with this liar. ... we have an acting president yet you are still lying there is a vacuum. It is pointless reasoning with folks who take lying as religion. |
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| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Redoil: 10:19am On Jul 23, 2017 |
sarrki:
We will all get burnt if we didn't curtail this menace now
Most especially Igbos miscreants and their leader ur hate speach against pej is what 3 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by pacoson: 10:22am On Jul 23, 2017 |
MOSES, BIAFRA AND THE EXODUS
MOSES IS OFFERED RESTRUCTURING
"Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron
and said 'All right, go ahead and sacrifice to your
God, but do it here in the land. Don't go into the
wilderness" (Exodus 8:25)
This is Nigeria telling Igbos "You can still achieve
within Nigeria everything you desire in Biafra; all
we need is to restructure to accommodate your
desires. Why limit yourself to Biafra (according
to them, a wilderness)"
Moses replies Pharaoh
"That won't do! Our sacrifices to God are hated
by the Egyptians, and if we do this right here
before their eyes, they will kill us." (Exodus 8:26)
Igbos reply Nigerians
"The problem goes beyond restructuring! Will you
allow us equality here? Will you remove quota
system? Will you allow is build seaports? Will you
allow us resist Islamization? Will you stop seeing
us as the problem of Nigeria?"
PHARAOH ADMITS WRONG TOWARDS ISRAEL
"I [Pharaoh] finally see my fault..." (Exodus 9:27)
Nigerians, reluctantly and gradually begin to
admit injustice towards the Igbo; eg, only 5
states in the southeast.
A SPLIT IN PHARAOH'S CAMP. SOME
OFFICIALS WANT ISRAEL TO GO FOR
CONSTITUTING A NUISANCE
"The court officials now came to Pharaoh and
asked him, 'Are you going to destroy us
completely? Don't you know that Egypt lies in
ruins? Let the men go..." (Exodus 10: 7)
Arewa Youths write the Federal Government
demanding referendum for the Igbos so that they
can leave Nigeria; because, according to them,
the Igbo have caused enough hardship that
culminated in the sit@home.
MOSES IS OFFERED PARTIAL LIBERATION;
SOME KITH AND KIN WOULD REMAIN IN EGYPT
"[Pharaoh to Moses and Aaron] All right, go and
serve Jehovah your God. But just who is going
with you?" (Exodus 10: 
Moses responds
"We will go with our sons and daughters, flocks
and herds. We will take everyone and everything
with us; for we must all join in the holy
pilgrimage." (Exodus 10:9)
Pharaoh disagrees
"I swear, I will not let you take your little ones; I
can see your plans. Never!" (Exodus 10:10)
Buhari/Nigeria offers to let only the Igbos in the
southeast go; but Igbos insist on going with their
brethren in the entire south-south, and also in
Benue and Kogi.
PHARAOH SCHEMES TO STARVE ISRAEL OF
RESOURCES AND MAKE THEM LOOK TOWARDS
EGYPT FOR SUPPORT
"[Pharaoh to Moses] Go and worship Jehovah -
but let your flocks and herds stay here; you can
even take your children with you." (Exodus
10:24)
Moses responds
"No! We must take our flocks and herds... not a
hoof shall be left behind." (Exodus 10:25)
Nigerians schemes to make Igbos dependent on
her by aiming to make her landlocked; poisoning
the Hearts of her neighbours.
Igbo reminds them that not even Opobo or Bonny
will be lost. Everything that is to go will go!
FINALLY, PHARAOH CAVES IN AND SEEKS
ISRAEL'S BLESSINGS
"And Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron
during the night and said 'Leave us; please go
away ALL OF YOU; go and serve Jehovah as you
said. Take your flocks and herds and be gone;
and oh, give me a blessing" (Exodus 12:31-33)
In the midst of Nigeria's crises -her midnight-
Nigerians will ask Igbos to go... and you know
what? They will seek the goodwill of Biafra!
Of we go to serve our God -no Islamization 4 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Olibboy: 10:25am On Jul 23, 2017 |
sarrki:
If you didn't understand the content of a thread
Why not shut up he wanna show for front page niii jare. buh e no get ideal 1 Like 2 Shares |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Nobody: 10:28am On Jul 23, 2017 |
sarrki:
Why are you full of abusive words
Don't do that again
We are matured here I didnt want to comment but this your comment made me wonder, who is the we that are matured?,i hope that excludes you sha cos you are the most ignorant and childish commenter i have seen on this section Back to the topic,whatever is happening today, is the seed that was sown by the apc. 6 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by policy12: 10:33am On Jul 23, 2017 |
May we not be a victim of wars, genocide. |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by bukynkwuenu: 10:37am On Jul 23, 2017 |
vedaxcool:
[s][/s]
In this whole thread the only person attempting to tribalize it is you ... because you represent hate and lies and only believe in it because to you it represents salavation. Please IPOb is NOT IGBO! ipob is igbo.....igbo is ipob take a chill pill and get lost with your hate 5 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by miketayo(m): 10:42am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Danzakidakura:
get off my lane, maturity is not about Age. Exactly.. You should take ur own advice |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Nobody: 10:43am On Jul 23, 2017 |
I absolutely agree with the minister on this one. |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Edum13656: 10:45am On Jul 23, 2017 |
first I must commend your nice picture not those ones you wear Yoruba cap like ojuju Calabar. on the issue of hate speech. .. IT BEGINS WITH US! let's first of all clean the hatred/vengeance in Buhari's heart. |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by positivetaught: 10:45am On Jul 23, 2017 |
instead of this long Epistle, lai should know that, lack of justice, equality n fairness is what breeds hate n it's manifestation, while fake news thrive because of the absence of timely n credible news flow.do what is right n the result will be right,you can't be practising the opposite of what you preach n expect positive results, let the change begin with you n those you represents. 1 Like |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Firefire(m): 10:46am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Lie Mohamed, the grand-master of all liars, propaganda and falsified news... shame on you & your children of perdition scattered on the cyberspace.
Eni gbin 'ebu'ika, omo ati aromodomo're a je ni be. 4 Likes 
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| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by magoo10(m): 10:46am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Danzakidakura:
you are the father of hate speech what have ipob done to you, why hating them, did they stop you from sleeping with your wife ? Biafra is dear to every Igbo man why hate them and incite people against them, unseen eyes is watching all of you Yoruba's that are inciting other Nigeria against Igbo's . I know IBO's they are doing defensive work online steady to curtails you people lies.. Igbo man don't have time to hate he is after his business stop attacking ipob . unseen eyes is watching all of you one day you will give account. Are you answering them,they are already crying when the monster they have created is just about mannifesting.this is just the beginning . 3 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Progressive1: 10:49am On Jul 23, 2017 |
agabusta:
Lai is raising a very sound alarm but as usual, he'd be abused an cursed an called the genesis I the problem. As if th entire Nation will not feel it, if wahala breaks out pan-Nigeria The statement been release by lai Mohammed should be taken serious I came to notice that hate speech in the media is becoming something else and hmic have been able to call on the media practitioners to make sure that they sent out message out there so it won't be as if it will now be the hate speech that will now cause problem in some part of the state in the country. |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by pauljumbo: 10:49am On Jul 23, 2017 |
vedaxcool:
I am done with this liar. ... we have an acting president yet you are still lying there is a vacuum. It is pointless reasoning with folks who take lying as religion. We are not talking of acting president I am saying we have disinformation because lai Mohammed is hiding the health status of the president 5 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by magoo10(m): 10:49am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Laid Mohammed is on a long thing.
the same way hate speech and propaganda brought them to power,sane way will it take them out of power.it is just the basic law of nature.
Una never chi chomtin 5 Likes 1 Share |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Edum13656: 10:49am On Jul 23, 2017 |
googlepikins:
Thunder fire liar Mohammed and APC there. Useless people Liar Mohammed is from Ilorin that is being ruled by Fulani Jihadists. he is half Fulani half Yoruba. so pathetic! 5 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by 2016v2017: 10:50am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Danzakidakura:
Liar Mohammed is the father of hate speech, I remember hate and abusive words him and his wicked APC members used against former president, even presently a Adeshina to open his mouth and speak against Igbo's and buhari government what did he want to achieved. Yoruba's start hate speech they want to incite Hausa's against the Igbo's but not knowing that the table will soon turn against them, until APC comes out to apologize for all the hate speech they introduce in Nigeria just because they want power. 1 Like |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Progressive1: 10:50am On Jul 23, 2017 |
pauljumbo:
If lai can brief us about the true state of the president health now there will be no room for disinformation HMIC have been an honest person when it comes to giving out information |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by system21: 10:56am On Jul 23, 2017 |
They have forgotten 97% and 5%. Apc government is the campaigner of hate speech 4 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by seguno2: 10:57am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Where is Buhari?
All we are saying, No ghost worker president. 2 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Project2017(m): 10:58am On Jul 23, 2017 |
sarrki:
We will all get burnt if we didn't curtail this menace now
Most especially Igbos miscreants and their leader shut up boy 2 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Temptee101(m): 10:59am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Look at these fools.
Buhari and APC are the architects of these hate speeches, lies and deceit
When buhari divided and insulted our sensibility outside this country with 97% and 5% charade, what did this fool say? Was that not a hate speech or is it a love profession in Lies moh'd's eyes?
When APC promised heaven for Nigerians during last election campaign and are yet to fulfill any after 2years...
Himself, buhari and APC are the propagators of fake news, hate speeches, lies etc... He should just sit his lying a s s down 5 Likes |
| Re: Hate Speech, Fake News And National Unity – Lai Mohammed by Project2017(m): 10:59am On Jul 23, 2017 |
Danzakidakura:
Liar Mohammed is the father of hate speech, I remember hate and abusive words him and his wicked APC members used against former president, even presently a Adeshina to open his mouth and speak against Igbo's and buhari government what did he want to achieved. Yoruba's start hate speech they want to incite Hausa's against the Igbo's but not knowing that the table will soon turn against them, until APC comes out to apologize for all the hate speech they introduce in Nigeria just because they want power. 1 Like |
