Lai: Our families have more trust in social media than in us

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says the advent of social media has led to a situation where disseminated information cannot be duly regulated.

Speaking in Asaba, Delta state capital, during the opening of the National Council on Information, Mohammed said the public is often misled by such reports.

He added that families and friends of public officials tend to place more trust in what they read on social media.

“Anyone can wake up and decide to become an online newspaper publisher, an online television station owner, an online radio station operator, a purveyor of news, photographs and videos,” he said.

“They use the numerous social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp, Skype, Twitter and Instagram just to mention a few.

“They spread whatever information that catches their fancy without engaging in the rigours of accuracy, fact-checking and fairness imposed by the traditional media.

“But there is another problem: they have their own public, and this public believes whatever information they put out. Ministers are daily being dropped on the social media.

“Many of us now wake up to read that we will be dropped as ministers or have our portfolios changed. Even our families and friends believe what they read or hear in the social media than what we tell them.”

Mohammed also denied claims that N3.4bn was budgeted for the ‘Change Begins With Me’ orientation campaign.

He said the figure being pandered on social media is almost twice the annual budget of the ministry he oversees.