The presidency has claimed that it has unveiled about 476 online publication sites dedicated to daily churning out of fake news to fight the government.
This was reportedly disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Monday, May 17, in Abuja.
Mohammed stated this when he received officials of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) on a courtesy visit.
The minister said the latest of the hatchet jobs by the traducers was the fake publication on President Muhammadu Buhari’s mental status.
He said: “It will amaze you that recently, we uncovered almost 476 online publication sites that are dedicated to daily engaging in churning out fake news to fight the government.
“The latest which I found ridiculous is the one that said days ago, that they had information that when President Muhammadu Buhari was in the United Kingdom the last time, he was advised to step down because he could not even recognise members of his immediate family.
“I begin to wonder how they can go this far, simply because they know that people are gullible and they will make the fake news go viral.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed has been quoted as saying that fake news is taking a new dimension and threatening the existence of the country, adding that the debilitating effects of the menace were not only on the government but on every Nigerian.
Mohammed noted that many marriages had been wrecked as a result of fake news, particularly through social media, while people had also lost their lives.
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