Former President Goodluck Jonathan says fake news, hate
speech and propaganda are now the biggest threats to democracy in Nigeria.
He said this on Tuesday at the second edition of the ‘peace
conference’ organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation with the theme:
‘Nation Building: The Role of Elections in a Multi-ethnic Context’.
Speaking at the event, the former president said he is very
pleased to see that young people are interested in the nation and election
matters.
He, however, said hate speech must be discouraged.
“Before this time, we
were always afraid of the gun as a threat to democracy. But the biggest threat
to democracy now is the issue of propaganda, fake news and hate speech,” he
said.
“Anybody that’s an advocate of this is a threat to
democracy. Our young people should know that we should embrace good conduct
that will lead to good elections.”
Speaking further, Jonathan said anybody interested in
leadership has the responsibility of protecting the nation.
“We must first have a
country before we talk about having a president. If we destroy a country, then
we do not need a president,” he said.
“Supporters of those who want to be leaders should first
know that we need to have a nation before whoever they’re supporting can emerge
as a governor or president.”
He added that the motivating factor that makes one go into
politics is important and people should not go into it for money.
“I always say that if your reason for going into politics is
to make money, go and be a businessman so that nobody will come and harass
you,” the former president said.
“If you want to go into politics, it should be the people first, not you first. If you’re somebody who believes in yourself first, then you have no business in politics.”
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