Lai Mohammed, a former Minister of Information and National Orientation, shared how false information spread on social media almost ruined his 40-year marriage.
At an event in Lagos marking Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 90th birthday, Mohammed spoke about “The Media in the Age of Disinformation.” Details of his presentation were provided to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday.
Mohammed, who is also the Managing Partner of Bruit Costard, a lobbyist and public relations firm, reflected on the significant challenges he faced during his time as minister, including the widespread spread of false information, misinformation, and disinformation.
Mohammed stressed that false information, disinformation, and misinformation almost ruined his marriage, underscoring their serious effects.
He shared, “I want to publicly share for the first time how social media endangered my 40-year marriage.
“In 2018, I came to Lagos from Abuja for official duties.
“As usual, I went to bed around midnight, but at 3 am, my wife woke me up.
“At first, I was worried, thinking there might be a security issue, but my wife seemed calm and composed.”
He continued: “Seriously, my wife asked if I was fully awake because there were important matters to discuss.
“I couldn't understand why it was so urgent and serious that I needed to be woken up at that time of night.
“My mind quickly flashed through my mischievous and adventurous activities over the past few months.
Mohammed described the accusation from his wife as “a bombshell” and delivered to him in Yoruba.
He presented the following narration:
“Daddy, death can come knocking at any moment, please let me also, as your wife, be a signatory to your overseas account in Ali Financial which contains 1.3 billion dollars.”
The former minister couldn't believe that his wife actually believed the false story circulating about government officials, including him, supposedly having large sums of money in overseas accounts during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“I spent the next two hours or so trying to convince my wife that there was no truth to the allegation.
“I had to get a calculator and go through the Federal Appropriation Act for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 in the middle of the night, explaining why it was simply p
ridiculous for me to have 1.3 billion dollars in a foreign account.
“I explained that in no year did my capital budget exceed N5 billion, which at the time, with the exchange rate at about N400 to a dollar, was only 12.5 million dollars.
“I clarified that even if I managed to divert every penny of it to my personal account, it would take at least 104 years to accumulate the 1.3 billion dollars that I was accused of stealing,” he said.
Mohammed added: “My wife insisted that the whole world believed the story and that her friends had consequently bombarded her with various requests.
She mentioned that all her attempts to reject the existence of this foreign account only ended up showing her friends that she was a selfish, greedy, and uncaring friend.
“Is my wife truly convinced of my innocence? The answer is in the wind!. “
Mohammed repeated that social media remained the preferred platforms for spreading fake news, anti-state groups, anarchists, secessionists, terrorists, and bandits.
During his time in government, Mohammed recalled that his ministry found 476 online publications dedicated solely to spreading fake news about President Buhari's previous administration.
Mohammed specifically recalled the fake news about the former president passing away during treatment in a London hospital and being replaced by a clone named “Jubril from Sudan.”
According to Mohammed, the issue of fake news continued through the campaigns leading up to the 2023 general elections, during which President Bola Tinubu became a target. Videos and speeches attributed to him were altered and distorted to spread false information.
He mentioned that those spreading fake news were persistent in their efforts to undermine the commendable policies and programs of Tinubu’s administration.
Mohammed pointed out how fake news had increased significantly due to the use of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning methods, allowing the creation of highly realistic fake or manipulated videos, audio recordings, or images.
“The consequences of disinformation and misinformation are far-reaching.
“They undermine democratic processes, sow discord within communities, and pose significant threats to public health and safety.
“Today, even the media is at risk of losing its credibility because of the proliferation of fake news on Social Media
“Therefore, the media, as custodians of the public trust, must take decisive action to combat the scourge of disinformation and misinformation,” he said
Mohammed stated that social media platforms and other intermediaries responsible for amplifying disinformation and misinformation should bear responsibility. He called for the implementation of strong regulatory frameworks to monitor and control the spread of false information while preserving freedom of expression.
He urged social media platforms to prioritize the integrity of information over profit motives. Mohammed stressed the importance of taking proactive measures to detect and remove harmful content from their platforms.
