The governor said during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 that fake news poses a great danger to the future of Nigeria if left unchecked.

The 64-year-old said checks must be implemented by the government to ensure that fake news are blocked from making it into the public space.

"The government should not allow everybody to just throw in whatever he likes," he said.

The regulation of social media by the government has been a controversial subject with many critics accusing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of attempting to suppress free speech.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has led the government's campaign to regulate the social media, using the easy spread of fake news to make his point.

While the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) last week demanded major control mechanisms and censorship of the social media, governors in the south west region this week called on the Federal Government to provide safeguards against the spread of fake news using the instrumentality of existing laws and regulations.

Akeredolu said on Wednesday that the government can put restrictions in place to deter fake news.

The governor suggested that social media platforms can be pressured by the government to screen user-generated information before they are allowed into the public doman.

"I know the technology exists. They're using it in Russia, China, and everywhere. 

"If we cannot be disciplined enough to be able to know that we don't churn out news that can cause a lot of damage in the society, then the government must be proactive enough to find a way, at least, to control it," he said.

A social media bill that resurfaced in the Nigerian Senate last year led to widespread outrage but it has not yet been completely withdrawn as demanded by the public.