FG will not stifle the press over hate speech —Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal Government will not make any law or directive that will stifle the press in its ongoing fight against hate speech and fake news.

The minister gave the assurance on Monday, in Lagos, when he paid a working visit to the headquarters of TV Continental (TVC).

Mohammed described as fake news, the alleged directive from National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) regulating phone-in programmes and newspapers review on TV and radio programmes.

He said there was no directive whatsoever from NBC or his office to any media house, regulating phone-in programmes and newspaper review as reported in the media.

The minister recalled that there was a brainstorming meeting among stakeholders, including NBC, media owners and others in Lagos where issues affecting the industry were discussed.

He said it was one of the participants at the meeting that leaked the issues raised, which were never adopted as government directive or policies.

Mohammed reiterated that “no government that stifles the press ever succeeds” and the Federal Government will not make laws or issue directive to gag the media.

He said the position of the government had been and remained that the industry should regulate itself.

He, therefore, underscored the need for media houses to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the dictates of their guiding codes to check the alarming rate of hate speech and fake news.

He said many Nigerians relied on newspaper review on radio and TV as their source of news daily and such review should, therefore, be done from the holistic perspective.

The minister also underscored the need for media houses to regulate the calls received during phone-in programmes to checkmate opportunists from using such avenue for hate speech.

He said the government would not make any new law to tackle the challenge of hate speech because there were enough provisions for it.

He said the Anti-Terrorism Act 2011 defines hate speech amongst others, as an act deliberately done with malice and which mightseriously harm or damage a country or seriously intimidate a population.

Reacting to why there was upsurge in incidents of hate speech and fake news in the country, the minister said the purveyors were being paid with stolen funds to whittle down the anti-corruption stance of the government.

He added that the upsurge was also about the 2019 general election to whittle down the many achievements recorded by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

He reiterated that no amount of hatred would obliterate the solid achievements recorded by the administration.

The Chief Executive Officer of TVC, Mr Andrew Hanlon, thanked the minister for the visit.

NAN reported that the minister also featured on a live interview programme of the station.