***Prof. Dandaura leads rescue mission for truth, urges Nigerians to fight back against viral lies
By Umar Muhammed, Lafia
The story had already gone viral. “₦16 Billion Lafia Flyover Collapses Days After Commissioning!” screamed social media posts.
Panic surged through Nasarawa State and beyond. Videos were shared, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire, and the reputation of a state’s proudest infrastructure project hung in the balance.
Now, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has stepped in with one clear message: Stop the spread of fake news before it destroys what truth has built.
On Tuesday, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, Vice President of the NIPR, stood beneath the massive Lafia flyover and underpass—named after President Bola Tinubu—and delivered a calm but firm rebuke to purveyors of misinformation.
“This structure is sound. It’s safe. It’s motorable. What we’re dealing with is not an engineering collapse—but a truth collapse,” Dandaura declared, pointing at the very bridge that some claimed had caved in.
The NIPR team had traveled to Lafia not just to inspect the site, but to send a national warning: fake news is no longer just a nuisance. It’s a threat to national unity, investment, governance, and development.
The professor, a seasoned development communicator, didn’t mince words.
“Disinformation like this not only frightens citizens, it damages the image of the state and the entire nation. The global world is watching—and falsehood stains us all,” he said.
According to Dandaura, false reports about infrastructure can derail investor confidence, especially when billions have been poured into national development.
He called on journalists, bloggers, influencers, and everyday citizens to verify before they amplify, insisting that “truth must trend louder than lies.”
Dandaura wasn’t alone in his truth mission.
Veteran broadcaster Muhammad Kudu-Abubakar, media scholar Prof. Okey Ikechukwu, and celebrated actor and filmmaker Francis Duru joined the NIPR delegation to amplify the message—Nigeria must build a culture of media literacy.
“We’re not saying people shouldn’t speak freely,” said Duru. “But freedom of expression must carry the weight of responsibility. If you can’t verify it, don’t share it.”
The trio urged Nigerians to learn the basics of media and information literacy—how to separate fact from fiction, how to question sources, and how to resist the dopamine rush of viral