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Fake News: A threat to Nigeria’s stability, livelihood, says ICPC Boss
The ICPC Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has said that fake news and misreporting of anti-corruption efforts threatens the stability and livelihood of the nation.
The ICPC Chairman stated this during his remark at the opening of a two-day capacity building training for journalists covering the Commission on Monday in Abuja.
According to Owasanoye, the essence of the workshop was to close gaps identified in the reportage of anti-corruption efforts by journalists.
He therefore advised journalists to avoid fake news and misrepresentation of anti-corruption efforts, adding that this threatens the stability of the state and livelihood of Nigerians.
His words: “Another reason for this training is to hopefully improve the capacity at reportage so that the information does not become asymmetrical or misleading whereby things ascribed to the commission that we do not have the capacity to do or they are exaggerated on behalf or in favor of the commission, which then heighten public expectation.
“So this engagement will help us to report accurately in ways that do not exaggerate our achievements or under report our achievements. We also believe that this engagement will improve your own knowledge of the sector in various measures by which corruption can be tackled, not just by investigation and prosecution and how this is communicated to secure public support.
“We do recognize the role of the media in raising public awareness, shaping public discourse and opinion and of course contributing to development. Unfortunately it’s not only our job that are threatened, yours too because everyone with and average digital device is a journalist now and once they have a smartphone, they can create news and sometimes they are believed over and above those of you who have been trained to report news in a balanced way recognizing the consequences and the risk of misreporting.
“But many of these high street reporters who have no training whatsoever beyond a smart phone with the video camera lens and the ability to record, they cannot be bothered. So, one of the things that should be of concern to both of us, yourselves and ourselves is the risk of the misuse of this ability.
“I’m sure many of you follow the trend and development in technology, you don’t know if you are as horrified as I am and worried as to role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to play in the future, and when I say future I’m not talking about the future that is very distance, the future that is already with us like tomorrow and we have a duty to close ranks about deciding how we will continue to communicate professionally bearing the risk of mireporting and fake news in mind because fake news and misreporting threaten all of us, it threatens the stability of the state and professional competency and our livelihood.”
He urged participants, especially journalists to use the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Commission that would deal with the scourge of corruption in the country.
He said: “I want to urge you to use this opportunity to establish a relationship with us, not just a relationship that demands of us that we should tell you when we get a high profile fish that we are investigating but a relationship that helps us to discuss how to deal with the scourge of corruption. What are the challenges that we face, what are the challenges that you as journalists who report these things and are also attacked and at risk globally and how they can be mitigated.
“I’m hoping that this interaction will help us to close those gaps and strengthen our mutual collaboration, our commitment as an institution and as an agency remains solid. It is statutory, we can’t negotiate it away, we just have the duty to do what we have to do but we are hoping that we’ll be better able to do it with your support and collaboration,” he said.
In his welcome remark, the Director, Public Enlightenment and Education, ICPC, Mr Mohammed Ashiru Baba decried the harrowing experience of negative publicity of the Commission in the past years.
Baba therefore noted that the good working relationship between the Commission and the media has changed the narrative within the last four years.
“We should have received high level media coverage and publicity, particularly prosecution and conviction by the courts should be reported widely or positively by the media. This is the focus of the two days training, which is reporting the activities and the initiatives of the ICPC.
“Over the years, the press had turned its attention to only the arrest and prosecution of bigshots in the society, thereby negating efforts at preventing corruption such as enhancing corporate governance through anti corruption monitoring units and MES systems review, ethics and integrity scorecards, corruption risk assessment and youth outreach and behavioral change strategies conducted by the Anti-corruption Academy of Nigeria. The research and training arm of the ICPC located in Keffi, Nasarawa state, as well as the public enlightenment and education department.
“Before 2019. If you saw any editorial comment about ICPC it was to castigate the commission. Largely what the press assume was the Commission’s inability to successfully prosecute former governors and cabinet ministers. This one sided outlook by the media was due to the erroneous belief by some media practitioners that the fight against corruption begins and ends with arrest and prosecution of the corrupt politically exposed persons.
“To be candid, even ICPC share part of the blame due to largely its inability to generate newsworthy context.
“it is reassuring to note that all these harrowing experiences have now changed with public positive publicity, good working relationships between ICPC and the media are cultivated in the past four year,” he said.