Abuja – The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has called on the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, to mobilise all information-dissemination apparatus to address the spread of fake news on the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

In a statement on Thursday in Abuja, the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Yussuf Buba (APC-Adamawa) said that fake news posed a threat to efforts at combating the virus and parts of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy.

“The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, call on the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to, as a matter of urgency, mobilize its information- dissemination apparatuses to address the concerns given the threat they pose to parts of our Foreign Policy.

“Now is the time for relevant agencies of Government like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other agencies like it, to be alive to their responsibilities and core mandates.

“We cannot afford an ignorant citizenry at a time like now when many misinforming messages are being spewed out on the social media; I urge the law- enforcement agencies to beam their searchlights on the social media.

“Perhaps, this is the right time to test the implementation of parts of that Hate Speech Bill, which have to do with checking the reckless and destructive use and abuse of the beautiful idea and concept of Freedom of Expression,’’ Buba said.

The legislator who represent Gombi/Hong Federal Constituency of Adamawa, cautioned Nigerians to desist from spreading fake and unverifiable news on the COVID-19 pandemic.

He frowned at the rising penchant for posting and spreading falsehoods and half-truths on the virus mostly on social media.

‘’As worrisome as some of these information are, it is sad that many continue to share these messages without regards to their veracity without bothering to crosscheck their original sources.

“Hence, we, nonetheless, contribute, albeit unwittingly, in spreading falsehood, misinformation, disinformation, panic, hate and other negative broadcast material that possesses the tendency to incite fear, anxiety, hatred, panic and even sudden death,’’ he said.

The lawmaker particular frowned at the continuous broadcast of a message purported to have emanated from sources in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany advising Nigerians to utterly reject any donation of materials and equipment from China.

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According to Buba, the messages listed items like the face masks, overall gowns, blankets and others items used to fight the pandemic.

The chairman said that the message claimed that such materials were all infected and were intended to be a means of spreading the disease in other parts of the world.

“To say the least, such messages, as the one to which we referred above, have done our people and country more harm than good.

“At a time when every resource needed to exert a definite and collective pressure on the pandemic is being sought for with all strength and seriousness, it is sad to observe that this misinformation.

”This is apart from making our people poised to reject genuine assistance from people of goodwill, it has left us more vulnerable to the scourge of the COVID 19 pandemic,’’ he said.

The lawmaker said that nationals of countries targeted in the “campaign of calumny and blackmail’’ who live among Nigerians were beginning to suffer the sad result of the smire campaigns.

Buba said Nigerians must regard bilateral relations, friendship and co- operation agreements entered between the country and other nations of the world, including other international conventions and protocols that bind Nigeria with other countries of the globe.

According to Buba, such broadcast messages have in many ways, flouted such agreements and protocols as we seem to be telling other countries and International organisations that cooperate with us that, we do not need them.

The legislator said that even in diplomatic circles, no nation is an island as nations depend on one another to survive.

Buba urged all Nigerians to be guided appropriately and cooperate with the government mad health authorities to stay safe.