Lanre Olagunju, a fact-checking expert, has urged the Federal Ministry of Health to proactively educate Nigerians ahead of the malaria vaccination program to prevent disinformation that could undermine its success.
While discussing digital media, and democracy on Channels television, Olagunju cautioned against the unchecked spread of disinformation, which he said poses a serious threat to the country’s democracy and development.
The dialogue was part of the global conversation marking the United Nations Media and Information Literacy Week, observed during the last week of October.
Emphasising the dangers of fake news, he added that disinformation can damage public trust and fuel tensions, underscoring that misinformation often follows predictable patterns and exploits people’s biases.
Olagunju reminds the federal government of the devastating consequence of disinformation in Nigeria’s health sector, citing the 2003 polio vaccine boycott in Kano, Zamfara, and Kaduna. Where misleading claims alleged that Western “evildoers” had contaminated polio vaccines with harmful agents like anti-fertility drugs, HIV, and cancer-causing substances.
As a result, many women refused to vaccinate their children, leading to a 30 per cent spike in polio cases.
To prevent similar occurrences, he urged the minister of health to learn from this experience, especially as Nigeria prepares to launch its malaria vaccination program. He emphasised the importance of investing in sensitisation and collaboration with media researchers to combat misinformation and ensure public trust in vaccination efforts.
The fact-checker also expressed concerns that social media is increasingly becoming a “dustbin of fake news”.
“I fear that the social media space is becoming a dustbin of sorts, where people drop fake news, hate speech, lies, and defamatory things all in the name of content creation. And that’s a challenge. If we are not very careful, that may affect our democracy,” the former fact check editor at TheCable said.
“As citizens, we owe it to our country and democracy to ensure we share only factual information and to recognise that not everything we see, especially on social media is fact-based”.
He urged Nigerians to prioritise fact-checking before posting online, emphasising that every citizen must ensure they only share accurate and verified information.
In addition, he highlighted the role of tools like Google Lens, a reverse image search feature on smartphones, in helping users ascertain the authenticity of photos, videos, and stories circulating online.
“These open-source tools help people see, for instance, when and where a photo was first taken. We’ve seen cases where old photos are misleadingly captioned and used to create false narratives,” he explained.
Olagunju also noted the challenge posed by an untrained workforce in media. He pointed out that many graduates entering the media lack education in fact-checking, and advocated for the inclusion of courses on information verification in schools, starting from the secondary or even primary level.
“We now have a large set of people involved in citizen journalism, but without a commitment to factuality, this can lead to a flood of misinformation,” Olagunju said.
“Media professionals and citizen journalists alike must remember their role as gatekeepers. It’s not everything that should be posted. Stories must be balanced, and every side considered, especially in an era where many lack the formal training in ethics and fact-checking.”
He further urged policymakers to integrate fact-checking education into school curriculums, starting from an early age. “If we are not careful,” he warned, “this fake news culture may have severe repercussions for our democracy”.
