THE Federal Government has described as “fake news” being circulated in the social media to mislead Nigerians on the ongoing admission processes into the Federal Government Colleges.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Sonny Echono, on Wednesday in a statement in Abuja, said the attention of the Ministry has been “drawn to fake news circulating in the social media since last weekend, purportedly written by one Dr Modesty Vitus. M. Ezenwa in which he concocted stories to suit his mischievous imagination.”
He said the alleged fake writer claimed to have attended a stakeholders’ meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, but in reality, the Federal Ministry of Education has not held any event at the facility in recent times and no such encounter ever took place.
Echono said: “Ordinarily, there would not have been any need of dignifying the fabricated write-up with a response, but for the duty we owe the public to be accountable.
“The Federal Ministry of Education can categorically state that a Press Statement which was issued in good faith by the Ministry and signed by Director Press & Public Relations, Mrs. C.P. Ihuoma to encourage more enrolment of candidates for the 2018 National Common Entrance Examination into Unity Colleges was misused by the faceless writer to launch a predetermined and hate-filled attack on the Ministry even though it was correctly reported in conventional media.
“Let it be known that the Federal Ministry of Education adopts a policy of equity in all its undertakings and no state is discriminated against in the admission of candidates, appointment of principals and siting of Unity Schools. As the name implies, Unity schools were established to foster national integration and unity while serving as models for replication by states and private operators.
“It is, therefore, unfortunate that the social media, which should be a veritable tool for education and information dissemination, is now being used to peddle such fictitious and malicious content,” he said.
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