The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, has allocated N138,066,187 to combat fake news and print calendars in the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
The budget also includes N24.5m for a special enlightenment campaign on government’s programs and policies, testimonial series to gauge the impact of government policies on the citizenry, and advocacy against fake news, hate speech, farmers-herders clashes, banditry, rape, etc.
Also, N30m has been voted for external publicity and engagement with foreign media, N20.7m for media interactions by ministers, influencers, and analysts on print and social media, and N21.7m for the development of social media platforms and networking with other platforms.
The former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had initiated an advocacy against fake news under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Mohammed stated that Nigeria had graduated from ordinary fake news to “deep” fake news, which according to him, was being used to wage war against the government and its officials.
He also stated that at the beginning, purveyors of deep fake news were largely unknown online publications, adding that it was, however, unfortunate that otherwise reputable publications and some mainstream media had joined the bandwagon while adding that citizens found guilty would be sanctioned.
