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SIEGE ON NASS: Lai Mohammed blames fake news
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has blamed the aggravation of the crisis at the National Assembly on the circulation of fake news especially on social media.
The Minister, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja when he visited Blueprint Newspapers, to further the gospel against fake news. He said the Federal government did not envisage what happened at the National Assembly when the campaign against fake news was launched.
He said: “When we launched the campaign, we did not envisage the kind of event that occurred at the National Assembly last week, specifically Aug. 7, less than one month after the launch. That event, during which the National Assembly was barricaded, is a classic example of how fake news can aggravate conflicts. In fact, it was driven all the way by fake news.
‘’A serving senator led the fake news onslaught, claiming that only APC members were being allowed into the chambers as a ploy to impeach the Senate President while PDP members were barred. No APC member was in the chambers at the time!.’’
Read Also: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: Date to reconvene shifted indefinitely
According to Mohammed, the situation at the National Assembly would have deteriorated and brought the nation great shame if not for the timely intervention of the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
Speaking further, the minister noted that in the aftermath of the crisis, news that N21 billion and assorted weapons had been found in the residence of the sacked Director-General of the Department of State Service, DSS, Lawal Daura, also turned out to be fake.
Mohammed, who insisted that fake news is a clear danger to the nation’s unity, democracy, and the survival of the country, said “it cannot and must not be treated with levity.”
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