Nigerians have been asked not to panic as the Federal Government is well-equipped to handle any case or cases of Coronavirus in the country.
Coronavirus, a zoonotic disease that has killed thousands since it originated from China, found its way into Nigeria through an Italian who resides in the country.
Advising Nigerians to maintain calm, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, asked Nigerians to flag any false and misleading report of the epidemic on social media and such will be pulled down.
“We know that at times like this, purveyors of fake news and disinformation usually ramp up their acts. We are therefore urging Nigerians not to fall for the antics of purveyors of fakes news and disinformation,” Olusegun Adeyemi, media aide to the minister quoted his principal as saying in a press conference on Friday.
“Fortunately, Facebook is working with us in this regard. They have asked Nigerians to report any false or misleading report on Facebook and Instagram pages so they can immediately bring them down.
“They have also assured us that they are taking preemptive action to remove any false or harmful messages about this epidemic and public health in Nigeria 24/7.
“All that Nigerians are required to do is to flag any false or misleading report on the epidemic and Facebook will remove any such report,” he said.
Mohammed also said the National Orientation Agency (NOA), with its wide reach (offices in all the 774 local governments), is pushing the various sensitization/enlightenment programmes to all the nooks and crannies of the country by translating the campaign to the major indigenous languages to expand their reach.
