Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian Nobel Laureate, has declared that he will pay $1,000 to anyone who can reveal the source of false news that has been wrongly attributed to him in the last six months.
Soyinka expressed his frustration about the proliferation of false information about him on various media platforms during an interview on Arise TV News’ morning show. The renowned author cautioned Nigerians to be cautious about accepting unverified news that could incite violence and harm the country’s democratic values.
Soyinka said, “I also want to use this opportunity, if you don’t mind, to warn your audience: Please beware of fake news. A lot of damage is being done by the propagation of fake news,” Soyinka said.
“Even, as recently as a few days ago. Some verbiage, some garbage, some nauseating news, which you’ve seen many times before have resurrected and attributed to Wole Soyinka. It makes me sick. I do not see why that could not be solved.
“In fact, I think it has reached a stage I’m going to go further. I want to use this opportunity now to announce a reward. I’m not a rich man, but I’m going to announce a reward.
“I look at my account and can afford a thousand dollars to anyone who can finger successfully the author of some of the tracts that are attributed to me over the past six months.
“We have repudiated again and again. Other people (would) come out to say Wole Soyinka never said this. There are some who want to believe it and there are those who have some tractions.
“So, permit me to use you as my advertising board to place a thousand dollars on those (peddling fake news about me).
“I will even go further to raise additional funds for anyone who can please relieve us of false attribution of fake news.”
