The presidency has dismissed reports claiming President Bola Tinubu has freshly sacked some Ministers from his cabinet.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who made the denial in a statement on Tuesday, also called for security agencies to take action against purveyors of fake news.
According to him, it is worrisome that some people would just concoct stories without regard for the truth.
The presidential spokesperson, therefore, called for fake news to be criminalized.
“Security agencies must urgently take action against fake news websites and platforms and the purveyors who fail to check the authenticity of the stories and make them go viral. Press freedom and freedom of speech will not exist when some people can wake up and concoct their news and narratives without regard for truth. Fake news is simply licentiousness and must be criminalised,” Onanuga wrote on his 𝕏 account.
Naijaonpoint understands the fake report had claimed President Tinubu sacked the Ministers of Power and Defence.
However, Onanuga, in his release, corroborated an earlier statement by Renewed Hope United Kingdom, which also debunked claims that President Tinubu dismissed the Ministers of Defence or Power.
The group warned that the falsehood, presented as breaking news, is nothing but reckless propaganda designed to misinform the public.