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Adewale Banjo
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Digital Democracy Project (DDP), has called for synergy among various stakeholders to check the incidents of fake news in the country.
DPP, owners of the Rate Your Leader app, specifically called on Nigerian politicians and political parties to join hands in the anti-fake news war.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Joel Popoola, who based in England, said fake news is an ugly trend that must be checkmate to protect Nigeria nascent democracy.
Seeking synergy among all stakeholders for the project, Popoola called on political parties in Nigeria to nominate a representative for its new advisory board where the power of social media is used for good, saying the project was created to deliver durable democracy with enhanced digital technology.
“The misinformation and fake news are weapons of mass destruction, and have consistently threaten Nigerian democracy. This is a clarion call for us to come together and combat the menace. There is a better cure for the malady of cyberspace induced fake news to the benefit of all parties; government and individual. And that is the use of cross, inter or even intra-party collaboration. This is the time to fight back with well defined digital democracy and Rate Your Leader technology which allows elector/elected abuse free communication.
“We must, therefore, jettison party leanings and work together to combat a menace that threatens our image among comity of nations and of course our democracy.”
Popoola said the app has accomplished a level success in the United Kingdom where it was first launched and is still in existence coordinating election matters and many more. “Plans are on to launch the app in Nigerian early 2020,” he said.
