From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja 

The Federal Government, yesterday, called on Google and Meta, owners of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, to checkmate the spread of fake news and disinformation on their platforms in the country. 

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the call ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Speaking during a meeting with representatives of Meta and Google, owners of YouTube and other platforms in his office in Abuja, Mohammed said: “It is no longer news that the use of social media is now a critical factor in national elections, and no nation, including Nigeria, is immune. With a predominantly youthful population, Nigeria ranks among the countries with the highest number of users of the various social media platforms, especially Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

‘’The use, or misuse, of these platforms is therefore of great concern to all stakeholders in the elections, and that’s why we have invited you here, so we can all jointly work to ensure a responsible use of these platforms so that they don’t become the platforms of choice for purveyors of fake news and disinformation.”

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Mohammed also said the government has noticed how some unscrupulous people are using parody accounts, cloning of reputable media platforms and the use of deep fakes to carry out their nefarious activities.

The representative of Google at the meeting, Dawn Dimowo, who manages Government Affairs and Public Policy, pledged the readiness of the platform to work with other stakeholders to ensure the credibility of the elections.

On her part, Meta’s Head of Anglophone West Africa, Adaora Ikenze, said the organisation has set up an Election Protection Operating

Centre, which has between 60 and 80 people who are working round-the-clock to ensure their platforms are not used to discredit the elections.