The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has advocated stiffer penalties for perpetrators of fake news in Nigeria.
The Governor made the call on Friday while speaking to State House Correspondents soon after he met President Muhammadu Buhari behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He said peddlers of fake news have to be severely dealt with because their activities were threatening the nation’s unity.
“It beats me why anybody would be in such a hurry to spread fake news; we don’t have any other country but Nigeria.
“There must be stiff penalties for people that are propagating fake news today because fake news is threatening the unity of this country,” he explained.
The Governor, who said he was at the State House to brief President Buhari on the recent crisis that affected some parts of the State, noted that peace had since returned to the troubled areas.
“Right now, we are enjoying relative peace and we intend to sustain that and we believe that if the right steps are taken, we can manage the situation and we can live together as brothers and sisters, as it has always been for so many years,” he said.
Making reference to the recent clash between some citizens of the State and Fulanis residing there and the subsequent visit to the area by some northern States Governors, Governor Abiodun said he was touched by the manner in which his colleagues showed interest in resolving the matter amicably.
He said: “I was so touched by their show and display of brotherhood. Individually and collectively, they spoke to everybody that was at that stakeholders meeting, which gave an opportunity for everyone to tell us what was on their minds.”
The Ogun State Governor said President Buhari expressed satisfaction at the way he handled the matter.
“He particularly commented that the steps we’ve taken are steps that he has always recommended, that we must have a joint stakeholders committee that has farmers, herders, traditional rulers and government and that the committee should meet like once a month,” the Governor added.
The Governor also used the occasion to present a detailed report of what transpired to President Buhari.
PIAK
