Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Thursday, decried the evil of fake news, lamenting that a fake report about a phantom $1.9bn paid into his account almost destroyed his marriage of 40 years.
Mohammed said there was a need for all hands to be on deck to fight the menace of fake news, explaining that one might not know the gravity of false reports until one falls victim.
This was as he defended the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress government, saying it should not be blamed for the hardship in the land.
Mohammed spoke on Thursday at a programme tagged: “A Day with Alhaji Lai Mohammed” organised by the Mass Communication Department of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in collaboration with Nigeria Union of Journalists and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ogun State.
The former minister spoke on “Redefining the Role of Spokesman: My Enduring Engagement/Romance with the Practice of Public Relations”.
Mohammed said, “The menace of fake news is a menace that must tackled by all of us; this is something that nearly cost me my marriage of about 40 years. While we were in government, there was fake news that I had $1.9bn in my bank account and unfortunately, many people believed this falsehood, including my wife.
“One day, my wife woke me up in the middle of the night and spoke in Yoruba, She called me: ‘Daddy,” and I said, ‘Yes, what is it?’ She said, ‘We all know that death can come at any time; we may say it wouldn’t be this early but it may be, but whatever happens, it will be good if you make me one of the signatories to your bank account to prepare for any eventuality. Even my friends and many other people are already begging me for money after seeing the report of so much money in your account.’”
The former minister said he had to take his time to explain to his wife that the report was entirely fake news and that the allocation for his ministry in a year was N5bn, making a total of N40bn for the years he spent in government.
He said he had wondered how someone would sit somewhere to cook up that a whooping sum of money is in his bank, adding: “This is why I strongly believe that this menace of fake news should be curbed.
“You won’t know the weight of it until it is about you. It has destroyed many marriages, many people have even committed suicide because fake news were published about them on social media.”
Speaking on the prevailing economic crisis in the country, Mohammed said the government of President Tinubu meant well for the nation and very soon Nigerians would have a cause to smile.
The Head of the Mass Communication Department, Dr Lanre Akinola, said the essence of the engagement was to provide a forum for town and gown to meet and chart a new course for national development.
He said, “I am glad the students are excited to meet with the former minister. They have interacted with him, they have drawn inspiration from his very rich lecture and they must have picked a whole lot of lessons that can help them turn out to be the best in life too; it has been a rewarding experience.”