Governor Namadi Urges Media To Strengthen Fact-Checking, Digital Literacy Against Disinformation
THE Jigawa State Governor, Umar A. Namadi, has urged Nigerian media organisations to strengthen newsroom fact-checking, verification systems and digital literacy to counter the growing threat of artificial intelligence-driven disinformation.
Namadi made the call in his goodwill message at the 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC), organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in Enugu.
The conference, holding from September 23 to 27, is themed “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” with the sub-theme, “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Elections.”
The governor described the theme as timely, saying AI-based disinformation could imitate reality, manipulate public opinion, inflame tensions and undermine confidence in electoral outcomes.
According to him, emerging technologies can now generate and manipulate text, images, audio and video so convincingly that falsehood can easily appear genuine.
Namadi said credible elections depended not only on the ballot box but also on citizens having access to accurate information before making electoral choices.
He therefore called on the media to uphold professional ethics, strengthen verification and equip journalists with the skills required to identify and counter disinformation.
“The challenge before editors should not be about ‘breaking news’ – who breaks the news first – but about ensuring responsible publishing, protecting the truth, and helping citizens understand it with clarity and confidence,” he said.
The governor also urged the Nigerian Guild of Editors to continue promoting integrity, courage, restraint and national responsibility within the profession.
He noted that the power of journalism could be used to inform, reconcile and promote development, but could also spread falsehood, deepen hatred and create discord.
Namadi also called for measures to minimise the spread of false information on social media while protecting legitimate expression and press freedom.
He cited Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, as amended in 2024, and Section 123 of the Electoral Act 2022, which he said provide relevant legal provisions concerning certain forms of false online communication and false statements during elections.
He called for fair and consistent enforcement of existing laws and said any further measures should be clear, proportionate and rights-respecting.
According to him, the objective should be to deter deliberate falsehood, incitement and character assassination without undermining legitimate expression or press freedom.
The Jigawa governor said government and the media should also collaborate on sustained information, education and communication programmes to improve media and digital literacy.
He cited Jigawa State’s Gwamnati da Jama’a (Citizens’ Engagement) Programme, which takes government officials to all 27 local government areas to present scorecards, answer questions and receive feedback from citizens.
Namadi said the initiative provides citizens with access to verified government information while creating channels through which public feedback can influence budgetary and policy priorities.
He also announced the proposed Digital Social Responsibility Programme, which he said would complement the state’s Mass Mobilisation for Societal Reorientation Executive Order No. 2 of 2026.
According to him, the programme is intended to promote digital literacy, ethical communication, civic responsibility and constructive engagement.
Namadi congratulated the Nigerian Guild of Editors on the conference and expressed hope that its deliberations would produce practical measures to strengthen professionalism, promote truth and deepen public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.
