Imo: The cost of misinformation By Emeka Omeihe

A gale of suspicion has enveloped the burning by arsonists, of sections of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and country home of a former senator, Frank Ibezim both in Nsu, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo state.
The unfortunate incident followed a recent visit to the NOUN, Nsu centre by a team led by the federal commissioner for refugees, migrants and Internally Displaced Persons IDPs, Tijani Ahmed to inspect training facilities there. Soon after the visit, the video clip of a national television news report which conveyed the impression of plans by the federal government to train refugees, migrants and IDPs at the facility went viral.
The television report lent itself to varying interpretations creating in the process doubts in the minds of the people as to the real purpose of the visit by Ahmed and his team. The accompanying caption by the authors of the video clip had expressed shock at the information, asking..what is this… who sold out..please say NO to this”, among others.
Apparently relying on the said video clip, a social critic in Imo state, recorded another video which appeared in the media space, questioning the propriety of training the category of persons portrayed by the television clip in the centre. The issues raised by the development were such that both the state government and Ibezim were quick to issue statements clarifying the purpose of the visit and the objective the centre is meant to serve.
But before the clarifications could make the desired impact, parts of the NOUN centre and the country home of Ibezim had been set on fire by arsonists. The speed with which all these took place, no doubt, created serious puzzles in the minds of the discerning public. There are questions regarding the uncanny connection of the two video clips with the arson that was visited at the NOUN centre and Ibezim’s house. Blames are being traded and accusing fingers pointed in some directions.
This is not entirely unexpected especially given efforts by the Imo state government and Ibezim to clarify the objective the centre is meant to serve. Even then, a voice note trending in sections of the social media has equally raised issues with the propriety of the visit by the team led by Ahmed.
The state police command has condemned the arson in very strong terms with a promise to take measures in synergy with other security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.
But as the security agencies conduct their investigations, the issues that brought about this odious pass must be properly situated especially given attempts to politicize the matter. We are contending with misinformation; it’s possible link to the arson.
It is important that all the issues to the controversy are fit into their appropriate positions. The original source of the misinformation(whether intended or not or an error of judgement) needs to be identified to ensure that justice prevails in this matter.
The news report by the said national television, the independent video clip from the social critic, statements from Ibezim and the commissioner for information Imo state, Declan Emelumba will be useful in this inquisition.
The television news headline read “…Imo state, where the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons IDPs has concluded plans for the training of refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons on skills acquisition. Federal commissioner, Tijani Ahmed stated this during an inspection of the facilities for the training at Nsu in Ehime council area.”
Its senior reporter went ahead to provide the details. A pictorial was displayed with the caption.. Refugees and Displaced Persons; and a rider : FG inspects facilities in Imo to train vulnerable people. But those shown in the pictorial as refugees and displaced persons were adorning attires remarkably different from the dominant dressing mode of the Imo people.
Ahmed said at the occasion that his agency has what they call “arrangements for the preparation of our concerned people in order to provide for their training in different trades” He rated the facilities okay for what they intend to do, while noting that it has a lot of laboratories not only for the use of peoples of concern but students in the area.
In the video clip by the social critic, he raised concerns about the story in the media space on the proposed training of refugees, migrants and IDPs in Imo state wondering what business Imo has with such training. He questioned the rationale in bringing these categories of people for training in a state that is bereft of those scourge.
The social critic then played the national television news broadcast video clip to buttress his point, warning of dire consequences in allowing refugees, migrants and IDPs to be brought to the state for the purported training. He also called for protests and petitions from the people of the area to forestall such idea given the precarious security implications it entails.
When this is paired with the contents of the television news broadcast on the visit , the source of the misinformation stars everyone on the face. It is not in doubt that his was a reaction to the unambiguous information in the television news broadcast which claimed the said federal agency had concluded plans to train such categories of persons at the NOUN Nsu, centre. That conclusion is the logical interpretation of the television headline news. It speaks for itself.
It is a different kettle of fish if it was an honest error of judgment on the part of the reporter and his news managers. But it cannot be denied that those who packaged that news item did not show sufficient consciousness to extant sensibilities and temperament in the zone.
This point was driven further home by Ibezim in his statement on the development. The former senator who said he was compelled by some ‘misinformation’ arising from the television news coverage of his visit to NOUN, Nsu centre, clarified that “ the video of refugees attached to the television broadcast which has caused understandable anxiety was not filmed in Imo state”
He said the facilities at the centre are already in use with over 200 students enrolled since 2023 and the visit was for the agency to assess them to determine if they could be used for specialised skills. First, Ibezim admitted that the television coverage of the visit contained some misinformation. Second, disowning the video of refugees as not having been filmed in Imo state, is a tacit admission of the complications the linkage created for the people of the state.
So the source of the misinformation is clearly not in doubt. Those who reacted, questioned the propriety in bringing refugees, migrants and IDPs for training in Imo state. They said the state has no business with such categories of people since it is not known to have generated any. They are on point. They are also within their rights to insist that such trainings facilities should be located within the zones from which such people were dislocated. This makes sense especially given the security implications they entail.
It was therefore somewhat untidy for the Imo state government through its information commissioner to single out the social critic for the misinformation that arose on the issue. The critic may have exaggerated his fears but they are not entirely unfounded. They are also not substantially different from the reservations in caption attached to original television video clip from which he made his own video. The state government did not fare any better when they accused him of notoriety in inciting the Igbo against northerners.
There is no justification for the lawlessness that was unleashed on the NOUN centre and the residence of Ibezim. The security agencies have swung into action and some arrests have been made. There should be thorough and discrete investigations to unmask those responsible for the arson. No lead should be foreclosed in matters of this nature in view of the blame trading and its politicization by the opposition parties and agents of the state government. The role of fifth columnists in the chain of the unsavoury events should not be ruled out.
It is also instructive that Ibezim whose official role in the visit has remained a moot issue clarified that the NOUN, Nsu centre has been operating for some time. This contradicts claims by the state government that the training facility is being attracted to Imo as part of the share of the South east. If one may ask, what is really being attracted to the state-the NOUN, Nsu centre that has been in operation or the training facilities warehoused therein?
In sum, Imo state is contending with the cost of misinformation that may not have been deliberate. It is all part of the challenges news managers face on a regular basis. So, the scope of the investigations must go beyond the source of the misinformation, those who relied on it to offer dissenting views and expose opportunists who may have capitalised on the mix-up to wreak havoc. At any rate, we are yet to be told how the ‘people of concern’ differ from refugees, migrants and IDPs. (The Nation Newspapers)