Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Fake news almost ruined my 40-year marriage — Lai Mohammed

POSTED ON March 24, 2024 •   Metro      BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara

The immediate past Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has recounted how fake news on social media almost crashed his 40-year marriage.

 The ex-minister gave the account in Lagos at an event to commemorate the 90th birthday anniversary of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel laureate for literature.

 He recalled that one of the pressing challenges he faced in office as minister was the spate of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.

 Speaking specifically about how the menace almost ruined his marriage, Mohammed stressed that the consequences of fake news, disinformation, and misinformation were far-reaching.

“Permit me to share publicly with you today, for the first time, how social media threatened the foundation of my forty-year-old marriage.

“It was sometime in 2018 when I came to Lagos from Abuja for an official assignment.

“As usual, I retired to bed about midnight. But about 3 a.m., my wife gently roused me from my slumber.

“At first, I panicked, fearing that there had been a security breach. But my wife’s mind belied that possibility, for she was calm and composed,” the ex-minister said.

Solemnly, my wife asked me if I was fully awake as there were some serious issues to discuss.

“I could not fathom what was that urgent or serious to warrant being woken up at this time of the night.

“My mind immediately did a kaleidoscope of my rascalities and escapades in the last few months.”

$1.3bn in overseas account

Mohammed said the accusation from his wife was ‘a bombshell’. Narrated to him in Yoruba language, it roughly translated thus:

“Daddy, death can come knocking at any moment. Please, let me also, as your wife, be a signatory to your overseas account in Ali Financial which contains 1.3 billion dollars.”

The former minister said he could not believe that his wife could take, hook, line, and sinker the fake story in circulation crediting humongous sums of money in overseas accounts to government functionaries/ministers under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Lai said: “I spent the next two hours or so, sweating to convince my wife that there is no iota of truth in the allegation.

“I had to fetch a calculator and reproduce the Federal Appropriation Act for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 in the middle of the night and explain to her why it is simply preposterous for me to have 1.3 billion dollars in a foreign account.

“I explained to her that there is no year my capital budget exceeded N5 billion, which, at about N400 to a dollar, was just 12.5 million dollars.

“I explained that, even if I managed to divert every kobo of it to my personal account, it would take at least 104 years to save the sum of 1.3 billion dollars being peddled that I stole,” he said.

Mohammed added: “My wife insisted that the whole world believed the story and that her friends had as a result, besieged her with all kinds of requests.

“She said every effort on her part to deny the existence of this foreign account only succeeded in depicting her in the minds of her friends as a selfish, greedy, and uncaring friend.

“Is my wife truly convinced of my innocence? The answer is in the wind.”

Mohammed reiterated that social media remained the platform of choice for the purveyors of fake news, anti-state groups, anarchists, secessionists, terrorists, and bandits.

He recalled that while in government, his ministry uncovered 476 online publications that were dedicated to spreading fake news against the Buhari administration.

‘Jubril from Sudan’

Mohammed specifically recalled the fake news that the former president had died while receiving treatment in a London hospital. And was replaced by a clone called “Jubril from Sudan”.

According to him, the challenge of fake news continued up to the campaigns leading to the 2023 general elections, where President Bola Tinubu became a target when videos and speeches attributed to him were manipulated and distorted. 

He said the purveyors of fake news were relentless in their efforts to de-market the laudable policies and programmes of Tinubu’s administration.

Mohammed said fake news had become exponential through the use of Artificial Intelligence and deep learning techniques to create highly realistic fake or manipulated videos, audio recordings or images.

“The consequences of disinformation and misinformation are far-reaching.

“They undermine democratic processes, sow discord within communities, and pose significant threats to public health and safety.

“Today, even the media is at risk of losing its credibility because of the proliferation of fake news on social media. 

“Therefore, the media, as custodians of the public trust, must take decisive action to combat the scourge of disinformation and misinformation,” he said. 

Mohammed said that social media platforms and other intermediaries accountable for their role in amplifying disinformation and misinformation should be held responsible. 

According to him, they should be checked through robust regulatory frameworks to curb the spread of false information while safeguarding freedom of expression.

He admonished social media platforms to prioritise the integrity of information over profit motives and take proactive measures to detect and remove harmful content from their platforms. (NAN)

READ ALSO
Former Arsenal Star Thomas Partey Charged with Multiple Sexual Offences
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 4, 2025 0

Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been formally charged with several sexual offences by th...

READ ALSO
Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Dies Days After Wedding
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 3, 2025 0

The forward for Liverpool and the Portugal national team, Diogo Jota, has tragically died at the age...

READ ALSO
EFCC Nabs 18 Young Men in Major Internet Fraud Bust
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 3, 2025 0

In its ongoing campaign against illicit activities, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EF...

READ ALSO
Man Arrested for Brutal Killing of His Mother
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 1, 2025 0

A heartbreaking case of matricide has rocked the Dantanoma quarters in Gumel Local Government Area o...

READ ALSO
Nigerian Deported After Conviction for Smuggling Fake $100,000
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 1, 2025 0

A Nigerian, Aremu Adegboyega, has been convicted by a Circuit Court in Accra, Ghana, for attempting...

READ ALSO
NDLEA Nabs Ex-International Player in Major Drug Bust
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 29, 2025 0

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has detained former international footballer Segun...

READ ALSO
NDLEA Seizes Over 6,700 kg of Illicit Drugs in Cross River, Arrests 191 Suspects
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 28, 2025 0

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the destruction of 30 hectares of cann...

READ ALSO
14 Chinese Nationals Convicted for Cyber-Terrorism
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 28, 2025 0

A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos has convicted and sentenced 14 Chinese nationals for cyber-terr...

OUR CHANNELS:

Nigeria's Civil Service Faces Redundancy Due to Obsolete Skills
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

The Federal Civil Service Commission has stated that the primary issue plaguing the civil service is...


2027 Election: Aisha Yesufu Urges ADC to Prioritize Youth,Women in Leadership
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

Socio-political activist Aisha Yesufu has expressed concerns regarding the makeup of the recently fo...


NNPCL Revamps Financial Discipline, Collaborate with Independent Producers
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

The CEO of Seplat Energy Plc, Roger Brown, stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limit...


Nigeria Unveils 37 New Crude Oil Evacuation Routes to Combat Theft and Boost Production
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

The Federal Government has sanctioned 37 new crude oil evacuation routes nationwide as part of refor...


NCC, REA Forge Partnership to Enhance Rural Connectivity and Energy Solutions
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 4, 2025 0

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have officia...


We Rendered Oil Smuggling Unattractive, A New Era for Nigeria's Economy - Tinubu
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has proclaimed that his administration has salvaged Nigeria’s economy fr...


Microsoft Cuts 4% of Workforce Amid AI Investment Strategy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

Microsoft is set to lay off nearly 4% of its workforce, impacting around 9,000 employees across diff...


Amaechi Exits APC, Calls for Urgent Restructuring of Nigeria
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

A former Minister of Transportation,Rotimi Amaechi,has left the All Progressives Congress (APC).&nbs...


K-pop's Global Influence Inspires Afrobeat Collaboration
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

The Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria is keen on promoting collaboration between Nigeria’s Afr...


Lagos Assembly Summons AG over Controversial Local Government Law Commencement
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara July 5, 2025 0

The Lagos State House of Assembly has called upon the State’s Attorney General, Lawal Pedro (S...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu