Pretend information and hate speeches anchored on using unbridled language have been the harbingers of conflicts in Nigeria and bane of growth over time.
A lecturer on the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida College Lapai (IBBUL), Professor Ebenezer Olusegun Ogungbe, acknowledged this in an inaugural lecture weekend.
He stated: “The combat towards using foul language, producing and sharing pretend information, hate speech and disinformation is a tough one. In Nigeria, regardless of a number of insurance policies, legislations, arrest, prosecution and conviction, pretend information and hate speech have been tough to get rid of due to excessive price of illiteracy “.
He urged Nigerians to be correct and truthful in producing and sharing info within the mass media and digital area, including that, ” producing and sharing false and deceptive info can have critical penalties. You will need to make certain of the authenticity of the data earlier than sharing it”.
Professor Ogungbe highlighted the position of journalists and the standard media in selling peace and in eliminating conflicts arising from the unfold of hate speech and faux information now prevalent within the nation.
He stated: “There may be the necessity for Nigeria journalists to embrace the idea of peace journalism entailing deliberate use of the career to advertise the tradition of peace amongst residents in an effort to stop additional conflicts in Nigeria”.