The Kebbi State Government has expressed concern over the use of social media to spread fake news in the country.
Gov. Atiku Bagudu disclosed this at the opening of a three-day training workshop for media practitioners organised by the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday.
Bagudu said the primary role of the media was to disseminate genuine information towards societal reorientation and expressed concern that the media was now being used to peddle rumour and circulate fake news.
The governor described the training as a bold step towards sanitising the use of the social media and practice of journalism in the state.
“This training will help you by giving you special skills on the use of social media and content development with a view to sanitising it usage,” he said.
Bagudu said the State Government had put in place structures to reposition government’s owned media organisations in the state to meet the yearnings of the people.
“In spite of the dearth of funds, government awarded contract for the digitisation of the state radio and television stations in Birnin Kebbi, Koko and Zuru.
“The project is nearing completion, “ he said.
The governor said that his administration was open to the media for inquiries on information about government projects.
“Our state is friendly to the media and it shall continue to remain so, “ he said.
Earlier, the state NUJ Chairman, Alhaji Aliyu Jajirma, said the workshop was expected to improve the use of the social media in the state for the better.
Jajirma called on media practitioners to always remain guided by the ethics of the profession.
“Only ethical conduct can define our contribution to good governance and national development.
“The spate of hate speech, fake news and rumour mongering perpetrated by some new media platforms is increasingly becoming a serious threat to our national life,” he said. (NAN).
