On Sunday, the Osun State Government revealed its intention to establish a Cybercrime Action Committee to tackle the dissemination of fake news in the state.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Engagement, Kolapo Alimi, highlighted, in a statement on Sunday, the necessity of taking this step to sanitize the governance space and guarantee that politicking and governance occur in an environment of responsibility, decency, and honesty.
The development arises following a social media battle between the supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress regarding governance and the personalities within the parties.
The commissioner stated that the increasing wave of fake news in the state was adversely affecting both the government and the opposition. He explained that the committee domiciled in the Ministry of Justice has journalists and legal practitioners as members, with the mandate to ensure that fake news is nipped in the bud, regardless of the perpetrators.
To ensure all stakeholders operate within the law in the exercise and enjoyment of their fundamental human rights, the committee is to apply relevant sections of the Cybercrime Act of 2015 as operational clauses.
Alimi mentioned that the committee's inaugural action meeting would take place today (Monday).
But Osun APC Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, reacting to the development, described it as a ploy to muzzle the opposition and subsequently turn the governor into a dictator.
Lawal further stated that the committee was an afterthought with the intention of instilling fear in the minds of patriotic citizens who raised questions about Adeleke's alleged award of N50bn public road contracts to unqualified companies.
He declared that Osun APC would be battle-ready to confront and resist, through legal means, all draconian policies created to suppress the opposition's voice in the state.
He also stated that Governor Adeleke is under pressure to defend his corruption-friendly government, which has become a source of mockery among discerning minds in the state.
