#EndSARS protest: FG vows to ensure responsible use of social media 

 Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

This was even as the government disclosed that it had no plan whatsoever to shut down the internet, stifle press freedom or free speech in the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this during a stakeholder meeting with members of the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja.

Mohammed explained that the social media was used to guide arsonists and looters to certain properties, both public and private, during the #EndSARS violence.

He also said some celebrities and even non-Nigerians, who were supposedly killed at the Lekki Toll Gate by soldiers, were circulated widely, only for those persons to refute such claims.

Mohammed further said the violence that resulted from the hijack of the EndSARS protest was catalyzed by fake news and disinformation, which he said, spread like wildfire on social media.

He added that the violence did not come to the government as a surprise, recalling that as far back as 2017, the government had been raising the alarm on the risks posed by fake news and disinformation.

The minister also said in 2017, the government devoted the National Council on Information to the issue of fake news, hate speech and disinformation, while also recalling that the following year, in 2018, it launched the national campaign against fake news and disinformation in partnership with a number of print and electronic media organizations.

“Ladies and gentlemen, social media was used to guide arsonists and looters to certain properties, both public and private, during the EndSARS violence. Then, pictures of persons, including some celebrities and even non-Nigerians, who were supposedly killed at the Lekki Toll Gate by soldiers, were circulated widely, only for those persons to refute such claims.

“This brings me to the issue of social media regulation. You must have heard about the hoopla this issue has generated in the media.

“Well, I want to confirm that we will definitely act to ensure a responsible use of social media. You may call that regulation.

“But that is not the same as stifling press freedom or free speech. No. Fake news and disinformation are not the same as free speech. This government has no plan to stifle free speech, neither do we have any intention of shutting down the internet. Social media has come to stay, and those who use it responsibly have nothing to ffear,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed however said the government cannot give the same assurance for those who weaponize the social media.

“By the way, the issue of regulating social media content is generating debate around the world, so Nigeria is not an exception.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s no longer news that three broadcast stations were sanctioned in the aftermath of EndSARS. Some analysts have attempted to muddy the waters by alleging an attempt to stifle the media. This is sheer red herring.

“The simple truth is that the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) imposed fines on the three broadcast stations for using unverified and dangerous information from social media. Two of the stations have paid in full, while one has paid in part.

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to broadcast stations to avoid using unverified information from social media, as this is fraught with danger. Despite the temptation, the stations must adhere strictly to the gate-keeping tradition instead of rushing to use materials that are not authenticated,” Mohammed added.

Mohammed further said the use of unverified videos, and the non-adherence to the basic tenets of journalism have combined to land an international broadcaster, CNN, in trouble.

Mohammed said: “This station has been caught in the web of fake news and disinformation, after it relied heavily on videos it took from social media for a supposed exclusive investigation on the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th.  The

station was also found to be inconsistent. After tweeting, without a shred of evidence, from its verified handle on Oct. 23rd that soldiers killed 38 peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th, the

same station now said only one person was killed – after a month of

its investigation. What an embarrassment!

“It is baffling that an organization like CNN will rely on unauthenticated videos to carry out an investigation. More worrisome

is that an international broadcaster like CNN will switch casualty figures so casually without a credible source. This is why we have

written a letter to CNN asking it to use its own internal mechanism to

probe its investigation. We have received an acknowledgement of our

letter, saying the letter has been referred to CNN’s Editorial Team.

“We await the outcome of their probe, but that’s without prejudice to

whatever we may decide to do as a government. We will not sit by and

allow any news organization, local or foreign, to set Nigeria on fire

with irresponsible and unprofessional reporting. CNN did not have a

reporter or cameraman at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night in question,

yet it emphatically reported a hoax story. Conversely, the BBC that

had a reporter and an editor on ground reported that soldiers shot

into the air, not at protesters. I will rather believe the person on

the ground than the one who is thousands of kilometres away.

“Since we sent our letter, CNN has been grasping at straws in

desperation, to justify its inaccurate and unbalanced investigation.

But in the process, it is sinking more and more into professional

infamy. Yesterday, Nov. 26th that is, in the clearest indication yet of the

its confusion over the Lekki Toll Gate incident, CNN tried to clarify

its tweet of Oct. 23rd by saying it never attributed the death toll of 38 to

Amnesty International and that the tweet also did not make it clear that

the death toll was for protests across the country. Commentators on the

tweet tried to redirect CNN to the issue: which is its tweet of Oct. 23rd in

which it said ”At least 38 people were killed in Nigeria on Tuesday (Oct. 20th)

when the military opened fire on peaceful protesters.” This is very unambiguous

and CNN is exhibiting panic by seeking to clarify its tweet some 35 days later!

Instead of engaging in such panic, CNN should come clean by admitting that

it goofed badly on the Lekki Toll Gate incident.”

The Minister added that the big lesson to draw from CNN’s faux pas was that it magnified

the failure or inadequacy of the nation’s broadcast  organizations.

“In the wake

of our spat with CNN, people are asking: Why didn’t our own broadcast

stations take the lead in reporting the incident at Lekki? Why didn’t they

take the lead in presenting an authentic narrative? Why must we allow the

foreign broadcast stations, some of which didn’t even have correspondents

on ground, to dictate the pace, thus misleading the world? These are questions

begging for answers and I think for BON, this must form part of their review

of the coverage of the whole crisis,” the Minister stated.

Mohammed further said the

Federal Government commended the security agencies for their

professionalism and their restraint, which helped to save many lives during the protest.

He said even in the face of attacks and provocation, the security agencies, in

particular the police and soldiers, acted within their rules of

engagement.

“The reporting of the EndSARS protest has been skewed

against the security agencies. While most reports have become fixated

on the so-called massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate, only a few have

highlighted the attacks and killings of security agents, as well as

the destruction of public and private property. This is selective

perception and it is condemnable.

“For the record, six soldiers and 37 policemen were killed all

over the country during the crisis. Also, 196 policemen were injured;

164 police vehicles were destroyed and 134 police stations burnt down.

The killing of the policemen was particularly gruesome and dastardly.

Yet, human rights organizations and the media have not given this the

attention it deserved. Rather, they have remained fixated on the

so-called massacre. It seems human rights do not matter for men and

women in uniform. This is unfortunate and must be corrected. Please

note that the violence also left 57 civilians dead, 269

private/corporate facilities burnt/looted/vandalized, 243 government

facilities burnt/vandalized and 81 government warehouses looted,” the Minister stated.

On his part, the Vice Chairman of BON, Godfrey Ohuabunwa, said regular meetings with government will help foster more understanding and better relationship.

Ohuabunwa added that the government needed to review its strategy in the area of fine on broadcast stations.

He also said it was embarrassing that before news get to broadcast stations in the country, and other local mediums, Voice of Nigeria and BBC had already aired the news.

“It is actually an embarrassment to us as BON. I don’t know how we are going to work about that,” Ohuabunwa said.