Bane of Fake News in Nigeria: How Sowore Got It Wrong With Ned Nwoko
Bane of Fake News in Nigeria: How Sowore Got It Wrong With Ned Nwoko
By: Sadiq Jikta
The general understanding of ‘Fake News is that it is a false narrative that is published and promoted as if it were true.
The term ‘News’ in its ideal form, stands for Verifiable Information in the public interest. This is why any information that measures below the ideal standard does not deserve to be labelled as news.
Fake news is usually propaganda put out sometimes by those in power or mostly unpatriotic elements to create certain beliefs or support certain positions, even if it was completely false.
Today, the Nigerian media space is awash with what is termed as ‘Fake News. Social media created an environment where anyone with ulterior agenda can publish falsehoods as if there were true.
The Nigerian online media space is saturated with a lot of fake news narratives to discredit their targeted victims, or pull-down who they perceived is not in their good books.
The dangers fake news can cause are numerous. While some are just an attempt at fun, a lot of it can be malicious and even dangerous.
Fake news is created to change people’s beliefs, attitudes or perceptions to ultimately change their behaviours. This mean, if you fall into the trap of believing fake news, your beliefs or your decisions are been driven by someone else agenda. Also, this can come with legal consequences for publishing fake news.
Information has for ages become part and parcel of every society and culture; it has also occupied a very crucial space in the life of the societies. The rate by which technology has advanced today has created easy access to the collection, processing and distribution of information.
This trend has left media houses with the burden of competing for presence in the online space. Sadly, numbers of online media practitioners today abuse the privileges in their responsibility to disseminate accurate information. And subsequently, the rate of disseminating false information continues to grow.
We can see that if something is not done, and done urgently too, Nigeria is gradually becoming a haven for fake news, misinformation and hate speeches, all in the guise of the news item. Indeed, this trend has reached an alarming state.
The act of manipulating information has assumed an active space in Nigeria’s news media. One notorious of these online media platforms is the Omoleye Sowore’s Sahara reporters.
A Closer look at recent development is how Sowore is using his online media platform, “Sahara reporters”, to take on former legislator and billionaire businessman, Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko. Prince Nwoko is a lawyer, Politician, Philanthropist and former member, of the House of Representatives (1999–2003).
Omoyele Sowore has been using his Sahara reporters’ online news platform to smear malicious campaigns, blackmail, defamation, and libellous accusations against the person of Ned Nwoko in a bid to tarnish his reputation.
In one of their publications, Sahara reporters accused Ned Nwoko of “defrauding some African Monarchs and leaders through fictitious giant projects” that he lured them to invest in. In another report, Sahara reporters accused Ned of subjecting his people in Delta state to destitution, by forcibly taking their land, amongst other accusations.
If we give a close look at these accusations and dig deep into the issues, one would realize that the allegations are unfounded and far from the truth.
Ned Nwoko has been carrying out humanitarian works, being the Chairman, of Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation (PNNF). It has been one of his lifelong ambitions to see malaria is eradicated in Nigeria and the continent of Africa.
Ned Nwoko has demonstrated a strong will to see that the scourge is totally eradicated, rather than concentrating on treatment and control. African region accounts for 94 per cent of all malaria cases and death worldwide. Recent statistics from World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that six African Countries account for approximately half of the death cases caused by malaria.
The world malaria report 2019, rates Nigeria as the country with the highest annual global malaria death worldwide. With the understanding of this ugly trend, Ned Nwoko decided to do something to reverse the trend. He took a personal decision to work toward the eradication of Malaria in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Ned Nwoko swung into action by establishing the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation – Malaria Eradication in Africa Project (PNNF – MEAP). The aim is to work in collaboration with partners and stakeholders in the public and private sector, locally and internationally to free Nigeria of malaria.
As part of its mandate, PNNF carried out a wide range of consultations and advocacy, reaching out and obtaining approval from the Federal Ministry of Health to support and coordinate a national response toward Malaria eradication.
This effort engaged strategic partners for the deployment of the premier Malaria vaccine RTSS, in Nigeria. The PNNF delivery plans are to support investment in the development of an anti-malaria vaccine, environmental sanitation, waste management, indoor residual spray and fumigation.
The PNNF Malaria eradication project received a lift with the approval of the RTSS Malaria vaccine implementation in endemic countries, by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Minister of Health also approved the implementation of the vaccine in Nigeria based on the framework submitted by the PNNF’s Malaria eradication project.
In July 2021 the Minister of health through a letter to PNNF approved the PNNF proposal to lead in the rollout of the RTSS vaccine in Nigeria, based on the framework submitted by the PNNF’s malaria eradication project.
Between March 18-19, 2021, the PNNF invited the RTSS vaccine experts and other malaria specialists to a 2-day workshop on developing a concept note and proposal to the Federal Ministry of Health for the foundation to lead in the deployment of RTSS in Nigeria.
In September 2021, PNNF co-hosted a virtual sideline event tagged; Global Action for a Malaria Free Africa (GAMFA2021) during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The PNNF National Coordinator, Chukwuebuka Anyaduba, moderated the panel discussion from New York.
The PNNF sponsored a bill for malaria eradication at the National Assembly. This followed a series of meetings between members of the PNNF and the leadership of the National Assembly.
Prince Ned Nwoko is passionate about advancing the cause of humanity, with the determination to eradicate Malaria through the PNNF. He has committed huge resources to the Malaria eradication programme.
All these efforts put in place by Ned Nwoko’s PNNF testify to the fact of what Hon. Ned Nwoko has been doing to see that malaria is eradicated not only in Nigeria but in the continent of Africa. And yet Omoyele Sowore sees no good in this selfless service to humanity, but to blackmail and rubbish the good work.
This is the misleading interpretation of what Omoyele Sowore’s Sahara reporters means by “defrauding some African Monarchs and leaders through fictitious giant projects”.
Let’s assume that Omoyele Sowore succeeded in his blackmail to jeopardize the effort and progress made by this son of Africa, what would have become of such a remarkable endeavour by PNNF? This reminds us of the case of Benjamin Burombo when he made the statement “Each time I want to fight for African right, I use only one hand because the other hand is busy trying to keep away Africans who are fighting me”
It is high time we stood up against fake news peddlers before they ravage our country. This is so important a project to be left to the enemies of the state to destroy.
