By Chesa Chesa
Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi has urged newsroom leaders across Nigeria to strengthen verification systems, build robust fact-checking capacity and enforce ethical technology standards to curb the growing threat of artificial intelligence-generated disinformation.
Namadi made the call in Enugu while addressing editors-in-chief and senior media executives at the 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC), organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
The conference has the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” with the subtheme, “When Lies Look Real…”
The governor said the media’s responsibility in the digital era should go beyond being the first to break news, stressing that accuracy, responsible publishing and public understanding must remain central to journalism.
“For me, 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.
Namadi warned that emerging AI tools, sophisticated image-editing software and digital platforms had made it increasingly easy to produce convincing false text, audio and video capable of mimicking reality and manipulating public perception.
He said such developments posed a serious threat to electoral integrity, noting that credible elections required citizens to have access to accurate information and be protected from deceptive narratives.
“In this era of digital transformation, AI-based disinformation is among the most serious threats to modern democracy.
“Credible elections depend not only on the ballot box, but also on well-informed citizens who can make their choices free from deceptive narratives, lies that look real, or AI-generated falsehoods designed to appear real,” he said.
The governor described editors as the final line of defence for accuracy, fairness, balance, ethics and national responsibility, despite the growing role of technology in news production.
He urged media organisations to invest in institutional verification tools, train journalists in digital literacy and strengthen collaboration across platforms to detect and debunk false information before it gains widespread circulation.
Namadi also called for fair and rights-respecting enforcement of existing laws against deliberate and malicious falsehoods, without undermining press freedom or legitimate public discourse.
He cited Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, as amended in 2024, and Section 123 of the Electoral Act 2022 in support of the need to address harmful falsehoods within the framework of the law.
The governor further advocated sustained collaboration between governments and media organisations on public education campaigns aimed at helping citizens identify and reject manipulated content.
He cited Jigawa’s Gwamnati da Jama’a (Citizens’ Engagement) programme as an example of efforts to strengthen public trust through direct engagement.
According to him, the programme took government officials to all 27 local government areas of the state, where they presented scorecards, responded to citizens’ questions and sought to strengthen trust between government and the people.
“Jigawa is building on this momentum through a new Digital Social Responsibility Programme, complementing the recently signed Mass Mobilisation for Societal Reorientation Executive Order No. 2 of 2026.
“The initiative aims to enhance digital literacy, promote civic responsibility, and strengthen democratic resilience against digitally manufactured falsehoods,” he said.
Reflecting on the NGE’s 65-year history since its establishment in 1961, Namadi paid tribute to its founding pioneers, including Alhaji Lateef Jakande, as well as former leaders of the guild such as Prince Tony Momoh, Chris Okolie, Ray Ekpu, Garba Shehu, Oluremi Oyo and Bala Dan Tiye, during whose tenure the ANEC was inaugurated in 2004.
