By Kelvin Adegbenga
“If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. It really is public brainwashing and misinformation” – Robert Kane Pappas
Disinformation is a malevolent influence and is defined as deliberately disseminating false or misleading information with the explicit intent of manipulating public opinion and causing harm
I read the disinformation from the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) warning against tenure “extension” for Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun.
The Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, further solidifies the disinformation by saying, “… whose tenure was extended by the Police Service Commission (PSC) after the Police Act was amended.“.
In the first instance, the Police Service Commission (PSC) does not have the constitutional powers to determine the appointment or exit of the Inspector-General of Police.
I am happy that the PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, on Monday, 3rd February 2025, came out to make the clarifications that by virtue of Paragraph 30, part 1 of the third schedule to the Constitution and Clause 6 (1) of the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act, 2001, the Commission is charged with the responsibilities of appointment, promotion, dismissal, and exercising disciplinary control over persons holding offices in the Nigeria Police Force (except the Inspector General of Police).
Disinformation coming from a professor like Ishaq Akintola is dangerous to the nation.
Even though Prof. Ishaq Akintola knew that the issue of the IG’s tenure extension may not be directly related to Muslim rights, he still went ahead to mislead his followers with such information.
Many Nigerians have lost trust in Prof. Ishaq Akintola because of the many pieces of disinformation he has shared in the past and to date.
Disinformation might lead to complicated ideas or overlap with other significant outcomes. These depict how disinformation presents a difficult image and include scepticism and ambiguity, polarisation and divisions in society, and manipulation of emotions.
To trick people into accepting inaccurate or misleading information, disinformation frequently takes advantage of negative emotions like fear, rage, and mistrust.
The disinformation by Prof. Ishaq Akintola has far-reaching and harmful effects on individuals, communities, and society as a whole.
It is important to be vigilant and critical of the information we consume from people like Prof. Ishaq Akintola to help combat disinformation.
Kelvin Adegbenga is the National Coordinator of Integrity Youth Alliance. kelvinadegbenga@yahoo.com
