Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian Nobel Laureate, has announced a $1,000 reward for anyone who can identify the source of fake news attributed to him in the last six months.
Soyinka stated this in an exclusive interview with Arise TV News’ morning show on Wednesday, lamenting a lot of false information associated with him spread by media platforms.
The literary icon warned Nigerians to be wary of unfounded information disseminated as fake news, which has the potential to incite violence and endanger the country’s democracy.
“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.”