Fake News in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Management

Abstract

This study examined the impact of Fake News in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and its Management in Nigeria and the world at large. Fake news in a layman understanding is said to be information fabricated without a source or element of originality. Most time, it creates tension, killings and pandemonium which are not good for the peace and unity of Nigeria and the world at large. The source of information for this study came from secondary source. From the study, we observed that the major causes of fake news are; quest for relevance, hostile government and civil actors, poor regularization / of the internet and money making. The effect of it has been so bad most especially now Nigeria is facing different intra crises like Fulani-Herdsmen and Farmers, Militancy, and so on which goes a long way to create tension, killings and pandemonium just like stated above. As a result of the above, we recommend the following: There is need to always confirm the source of information (social media accounts often try to appear as if they are from legitimate news sites), check different sources to confirm the authentication of the information you are reading. There is need to always penalize those blogs or media outlets that post fake news no matter the circumstance. By so doing, it will serve as deterrent to others using it as a way to gain relevance or for whatever reason.

Keywords: Fake News, Causes, Effects, Management, Nigeria

DOI: 10.7176/IKM/9-2-10