Says Amaechi didn’t insult Buhari in leaked audio clips
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has warned of the danger of fake news saying it could lead to World War 111, which might be started by a Nigerian.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at a symposium tagged ‘Nigeria 2019: Countering Fake News’ organised by BBC News, Soyinka said he had been a victim of fake news ranging from being pronounced dead to having several quotes attributed to him.
“I’ve said this before that fake news may cause World War III and the fake news will be started by a Nigerian.”
On passing legislation to address fake news, Soyinka, said Nigeria has sufficient laws to counter the purveyors of fake news.
On the leaked audio clips in which the minister of transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi purportedly said that President Muhammadu Buhari neither reads nor listens to anyone, Soyinka said he had read the reports in the media and was unable to spot any insults as insinuated.
“Just two or three days ago, I read an item where a minister was supposed to have insulted the President and it was carried in some media and I checked the statement and of course there was a video and so on and I looked through it, I read the text again and again and I said I have to relearn the English language because I didn’t see where the insults were.
“So sometimes, print media feels compelled to compete with the electronic media and this is a great mistake because there is a reputation; there is an expectation and you should not be embarrassed to show yourself superior to a medium which is accessible to the lowest, the very dregs of society,” he said.
It would be recalled that the tapes alleging that Amaechi made uncomplimentary remarks about the president had been trending in the traditional and social media.
In one of the clips, Amaechi who is also the director general of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council is heard saying: “The President is not listening to anybody. He doesn’t care. You can write anything you want. The President doesn’t care. Does he read?”
In another, the minister threatened to bar journalists from events if the audio is leaked.
“These are not things you publish o! If you publish them, you will never sit with me any day.
“Three years of Buhari o; everybody is crying, crying…pressmen are crying, farmers are crying, workers are crying, politicians are crying, students are crying, three years o!
“The rate of poverty is very high. The people are hungry. Nigeria will divide!
“This country can never change, I swear. The only way this country can change is in a situation where everybody is killed.
“This country is going nowhere. When Magnus (Abe) was secretary to the Rivers State Government, I told him that this country is hopeless and helpless and he told me, ‘Oga, stop it’. This cannot be coming from a governor.
“But two months in Abuja, Magnus came to meet me and said, I agree with you; this country is hopeless and helpless. All they do in Abuja is to share money,” he said.
