Buhari decries use of technology to instigate violence

President Muhammadu Buhari has decried the wrong deployment of technology as a tool for instigating violence instead of its good intent.

The President spoke yesterday when he received the Chairman and Board members of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) at the State House, Abuja.

The President said: “Generally, technology has been enabler for good. However, in recent times, we are seeing this platform more and more being used to instigate violence and hate. Nowhere is this disturbing trend more apparent than in the various media platforms, where fake news is gaining momentum and is being used to divide and destabilise communities and indeed nations around the world.

“We see images being manipulated to give legitimacy to lies. We hear voice on radio preaching falsehood and hatred. We also read stories that are already sponsored by individuals who stand to gain at the expense of truth, peace and harmony,” he said.

Buhari said notwithstanding these developments, the powerful weapon that can counter such manipulations was truth.

He said: “Like I mentioned a few months ago, at the World Economic Forum in Jordan, since digital information age is borderless, this means we must be ready to respond with the best weapon we have; truth.”

He urged journalists to protect their profession by tackling the growing trend of fake news.

He added: “Journalism as a profession is primarily based on being truthful. With the growing increase in fake news, the future of your profession is under threat and therefore you must be ready to correct this and safeguard your professionalism and reputation.

“In the case of the FRCN, you must proactively develop programmes based on truth, facts and broader national interest.