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, thetrentonline.com reports.
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 school.
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 labeling Signalas 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 twitter.com/thesignalng/st…
DELETE this account. #FakeGovt twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
Here is what looks like a twitter war between the media house and the official Nigerian government twitter handle since the fraud was exposed:
.@AsoRock with all its humongous investment on digital communications should be able verify the source of the video. No? twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
Pointing out that you're practicing irresponsible journalism is not an attack. We're sorry you see it that way. twitter.com/thesignalng/st…
It is a hallmark of your incompetence that the said video trended on Nigerian social media before it was posted on our platform. #FakeGovt twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
You wouldn't even recognize irresponsible journalism if you saw it. The media deals with facts. Make your clarifications with FACTS ONLY. twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
Since you have the authentic videos and pictures of the School Feeding Programme, could you kindly share with the public? Thanks. twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
Please see @NHGSFP, thanks. Sharing unverified videos in order to elicit authentic ones is not journalism. twitter.com/thesignalng/st…
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. twitter.com/digicommsng/st…
This is not the first time the Nigerian Presidency would resort to using its official communications platforms to attack Nigerian media organizations. With thetrentonline.com
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