As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues with the announcement of the 2023 general elections, a civil society organisation, Network For Peace, has warned against misinformation, fake news on the social media.
The Organisation is in collaboration with the Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) and the Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) in Nigeria.
The Organisation stressed that citizens should be cautious of news on facebook, twitters, instagram, whatsapp among others.
In a statement by the team leader of the group, Ibrahima Yakubu, he called on all patriotic citizens to always access news from credible media organisations.
According to him, during election seasons like this, fake news use to dominate the social media and there was need to sensitise the general public on dangers associated with fake news as INEC announces the results.
Unprofessional ways
He equally raised an alarm of unprofessional ways of spreading of news on the social media
Ibrahima commended patriotic Nigerians for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner during the presidential and National Assembly elections in some parts of the country.
He appreciated all the media organisations across the country for their contributions towards promoting peaceful journalism for peace and unity among Nigerians.
Ibrahima Yakubu also commended the Nigerian Union of Journalists for opening -up situation room during and after the elections.
He stressed that the National Secretariat has set up a Situation Room with hotlines for journalists who come under attack during and after the 2023 elections.
“The effort is geared towards ensuring that journalists receive necessary support, guidance about their rights and available safety mechanisms, as well as litigation assistance, should that become necessary to enforce their rights.”
He also commended the effort of security men and youth organisations for peace stability in the country.
Lateefah Ibrahim
