The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has frowned at the unregulated use of social media by Nigerians.
Mohammed said this during the opening session of the global media and information literacy week organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, on Monday.
He noted the need for Nigerians to be adequately equipped with enough knowledge in managing the information available to them.
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The theme of this year’s Global MIL week, is ‘Nurturing Trust: A Media and Information Literacy Imperative.’
He described the theme as timely because world leaders have had reasons to contend with the challenges of mis-information.
He said, “As I ponder on the state of our world and the enormous challenge it faces, especially with the unregulated use of social media and other digital platforms, I see the urgent need for every person to be equipped with the ability to critically evaluate and wisely use information at their disposal.
“I am optimistic that, starting from the parallel sessions which commence immediately to the last plenary session on Friday morning, contributions and questions will all be geared towards finding the linkages to building trust among our societies and individuals through the use of media and information literacy.
“As I urge you all to give this your best attention, knowing that the world awaits the outcome of this global MIL week, I warmly welcome you, once again, to Nigeria. I encourage you all to discover Abuja and enjoy your stay”.
The minister had in recent times stated that the nation is sitting on a keg of gunpowder regarding the issue of fake news, hence the need for the government to immediately begin to regulate the social media space.
He had said the biggest challenge facing the country is the issue of fake news and misinformation, warning that the next war that will be fought in the country and across the globe may be fought through social media.