The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), a Spanish Foundation that specializes in public policies and global institutional strengthening, promoting public sector expertise in over 120 countries, has expressed concern over the rising wave of misinformation, disinformation and coordinated manipulation within Nigeria’s information ecosystem.
The group is warning that the trend poses a serious threat to electoral integrity and public trust ahead of future elections.
In a Communique issued at the end of a three-day capacity-building workshop with the theme, “Truth at the Ballot: Strengthening Media and Civil Society for Democratic and Peaceful Elections in Nigeria – Southern Regional Workshop,” the FIAP also raised concerns over the growing online harassment, coordinated attacks, hate speech and exclusionary narratives targeting women, youths, persons with disabilities and minority groups across the country.
The workshop, organised by FIAP in partnership with FactCheckAfrica under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, brought together journalists, editors, media practitioners, fact-checkers, and civil society organisations.
Also at the workshop were digital rights advocates, researchers and other democracy stakeholders committed to promoting information integrity, electoral accountability and peaceful democratic participation.
In the communiqué signed by researcher and fact-checker, Mr. Mustapha Lawal, participants noted that digital platforms have become key battlegrounds for electoral narratives, where false information spreads rapidly and influences voter behaviour.
According to the communiqué, electoral misinformation increasingly exploits ethnic, religious, regional and political divisions, making proactive monitoring and rapid response mechanisms more important than ever.
The participants reaffirmed their commitment to promoting truth, accountability, inclusion, ethical journalism and peaceful democratic participation, ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
“We recognise that protecting the integrity of information is a shared responsibility and pledge to utilise the knowledge, tools, networks and commitments developed through this workshop to strengthen democratic resilience across our communities and institutions,” the communiqué stated.
The group also pledged to strengthen verification practices within their organisations by promoting evidence-based journalism and responsible public communication, while integrating fact-checking and verification processes into editorial and advocacy activities.
Participants further committed to deploying Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), reverse image searches, geolocation techniques and Artificial Intelligence-assisted verification tools acquired during the workshop to detect and counter misinformation through timely and accurate reporting.
They also resolved to intensify voter education and civic awareness campaigns, discourage the spread of unverified electoral claims and divisive rhetoric, and support early warning efforts by identifying harmful information trends capable of escalating political tensions.
The communiqué further emphasised the need for gender-sensitive and youth-inclusive reporting, ensuring fair representation of women, young people and other underrepresented groups in electoral coverage and civic engagement initiatives.
It added that participants would continue to challenge discriminatory narratives that discourage political participation, uphold ethical journalism, strengthen newsroom preparedness for high-risk election reporting, and adopt physical, digital and psychosocial safety measures in carrying out their professional duties.
The group also pledged to promote the #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign across states and organisations to encourage responsible information sharing and ensure citizens verify information before publishing, forwarding or reposting it on digital platforms.
While acknowledging that Artificial Intelligence presents significant opportunities for journalism, fact-checking and civic engagement, the communiqué warned that the technology also poses emerging risks through synthetic media, manipulated content and automated misinformation campaigns.
It stressed that journalists and civil society organisations require continuous training to effectively detect, verify and counter harmful information before it escalates into conflict or violence.
