The official Twitter handle of Nigeria’s presidential seat of power @AsoRock and @DigiCommsNG – the governance communications Twitter mouthpiece of the Nigerian Presidency – on Monday, October 23, 2017 launched a series of online attacks against Nigerian online newspaper, Signal.
The two Twitter accounts descended on Signal with diatribes for reposting a video that details elements of fraud and incompetence in the execution of the Nigerian Government’s School Feeding Programme.
In the video, below, a citizen shows a pitiable piece of bread and what is passed as “stew” which is prepared and distributed to children in a school. The citizen reporter clearly indicates that what she is recording is the Buhari government school feeding programme in an unidentified schoo.
VIDEO | A concerned citizen examines the Buhari Govt's School Feeding Programme cc @adeyanjudeji @Amaka_Ekwo @akaebube @obyezeks @BudgITng pic.twitter.com/8MZtKvgU9V
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
The video which had gone viral in the Nigerian social media since Sunday evening was reposted by the online platform on its Twitter handle @thesignalng on Monday morning drawing a lot of commentary from Nigerians in the social media.
Apparently worried by the negative publicity the video was generating for the federal government, federal government Twitter accounts, managed by Tolu Ogunlesi, a former journalist, resorted to labelling Signal as a purveyor of fake news. Curiously, in their attempt at pushback, nothing in the government communication efforts presented any evidence of the said video being fake.
In a rather condescending tweet at @thesignalng, @DigiCommsNG tweeted; “Someone has put together a random video of a random food vendor, and is getting @thesignalng to share it and mislead the public. #FakeNews”. In response, @thesignalng responded; “DELETE this account. #FakeGovt”.
Someone has put together a random video of a random food vendor, and is getting @thesignalng to share it and mislead the public. #FakeNews https://t.co/PQ9ESKD4WK
— Covid-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF) | Nigeria (@DigiCommsNG) October 23, 2017
DELETE this account. #FakeGovt https://t.co/PvWLI7DYcP
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
A back and forth between both handles has since ensued as can be seen in their Twitter timelines.
.@AsoRock with all its humongous investment on digital communications should be able verify the source of the video. No? https://t.co/ZFvvnJIlVl
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
Pointing out that you're practicing irresponsible journalism is not an attack. We're sorry you see it that way. https://t.co/51iESFJ4sM
— Covid-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF) | Nigeria (@DigiCommsNG) October 23, 2017
It is a hallmark of your incompetence that the said video trended on Nigerian social media before it was posted on our platform. #FakeGovt https://t.co/hW8jaI7I8B
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
You wouldn't even recognize irresponsible journalism if you saw it. The media deals with facts. Make your clarifications with FACTS ONLY. https://t.co/fpEWJBeUos
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
Since you have the authentic videos and pictures of the School Feeding Programme, could you kindly share with the public? Thanks. https://t.co/cfCD2gzuSw
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
Please see @NHGSFP, thanks. Sharing unverified videos in order to elicit authentic ones is not journalism. https://t.co/8H3921Kp6V
— Covid-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF) | Nigeria (@DigiCommsNG) October 23, 2017
Hope you take this as a crash course in Governance Communication. Your job IS NOT to attack media houses but to clarify issues with FACTS. https://t.co/sKDjKxgGhJ
— SIGNAL News Global (@thesignalng) October 23, 2017
This is not the first time the Nigerian Presidency would resort to using its official communications platforms to attack Nigerian media organisations.
Earlier in the Muhammadu Buhari regime, the spokesperson of President Muhammadu Buhari published an attack on The Trent and its publisher, Aziza Uko on the Aso Rock website. The move received an intense public backlash and led to the editorial board of online newspaper issuing a statement condemning the tyrannical nature of the Buhari regime.
