The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has identified fact checking as a preventive method to address the threat of disinformation, misinformation, and fake news in the country.
Dr Garba Abari, Director-General of NOA, stated this on Tuesday during the agency’s Fact Checking Course Three in Abuja.
Garba, who was represented by the Director of Procurement, Mrs Remi Afolabi, stated that the third session of the capacity building course targeted at raising an army of patriots to combat hate speech, fake news, and cybercrime.
He emphasized the NOA’s role as a vanguard in combating fake news, hate speech, and cybercrime.
According to him, the agency’s responsibilities included training 1,000 fact checkers in each state of the union, including the Federal Capital Territory.
“Today, Nigeria and the rest of the world are fighting a battle against misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech.”
“In our country, the rise of fake news has reached alarming and dangerous proportions, capable of inflaming the polity and destroying the fabric of our national peace and unity.”
“Fake news, as the name implies, is very important at inciting, causing hatred, anger, and acrimony with the main goal of causing disaffection, division, violence, and war,” Abari said.
He defined fake news as outright falsehood, distorted or alternative facts disseminated as authentic news with the intent of misleading people, causing disaffection, confusion, and chaos.
” Although fake news has been around for a long time, the advent of the internet, particularly social media, has accelerated its spread like wildfire.”
As with medicine, he believes that prevention is superior to cure; it is preferable to prevent misinformation from spreading in the first place rather than attempt to debunk it after it has spread.
Abari urged all Nigerians, especially the elites, to rise above all forms of parochialism and advocate for issues of national importance, peace, unity, and development.
He also urged Nigerian project stakeholders, such as the media, civil society, state and non-state actors, to collaborate in combating fake news, hate speech, and merchants of violence and war.
“We must work together to strengthen our democracy and ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari’s current administration receives all possible support.”
” Also, cooperation to build on his first term’s achievements and succeed in addressing the country’s plethora of challenges.”
“The fight against corruption and instability must, of necessity, include the fight against fake news, which is a communal obligation for all of us,” NOA boss stated.
In his goodwill message, Mr Christopher Isiguzo, President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), stated that 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 cautious of the information they disseminated, rather than cross-checking it to see if it was true or not.
“Your integrity is at stake; do not spread false information.”
Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, Executive Director of the Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (Dubawa), praised the NOA management for collaborating with them in developing capacity in the area of fact checking.
Olorunyomi, who was represented by Oluwatosin Alagbe, the Programme Director (PTCIJ), stated that the program would help to combat fake news and misinformation.
Meanwhile, Mrs Mette Edekosi, Director Special Duties/ State Operations, stated in her welcome address that NOA was working tirelessly to ensure that it contributed its quota to the task of building a nation that future generations would be proud of.
“Our country is best served by mind-boggling security challenges fuelled by disinformation, misinformation, fake news, and hate speech.”
“While our military forces are doing their absolute best in Kinetic reaction, the rest of us have a responsibility to help them by avoiding falling for the tales of criminal groups whose purpose is to turn us against one other and ruin our country,” she said.
According to her, Nigeria has come a long way, and we should take a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from in order to find inspiration for where we’re going.
” Rather than returning to the mistakes and dark spots of the past, we must strive to preserve what our forefathers have built.”
“We need to strive and wax stronger as Nigerians so that we can stand tall as Africa’s giant,” she added.
She stated that NOA was holding a series of engagement sessions to educate the public on the benefits of verifying information before sharing it.
According to NAN, NOA previously held the Course One/Two programs in Abuja for selected participants from government establishments, Civil Society Organizations, and the private sector.
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