The Nigerian Government has tasked editors on need to make verification a core newsroom culture as the country enters the 2027 election season, with a caution that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made it possible for lies to look real and for citizens to stop believing anything.
Penpushing reports that Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, gave the task while speaking at the 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference, (ANEC), in Enugu, with the theme “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive” and sub-theme “When Lies Look Real: Detecting and Debunking AI Disinformation Before, During and After Election.”
The Minister pointed out that the quality of information available to citizens will matter enormously as as the electoral body has scheduled Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027 and Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections for February 6, 2027.
“The ballot is important, but democracy does not begin and end at the polling station. Democracy depends on citizens having access to credible information with which to make informed decisions’, he said.
Penpushing further reports that Idris affirmed that editors occupy a critical position, knowing fully that they determine what enters public conversation, how issues are framed and what citizens see on phones and social media, a responsibility now made more difficult by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“Artificial intelligence has made it possible to create convincing photographs, videos, audio recordings and documents that may appear genuine when they are not. A false statement can be produced in the voice of a public official. A fabricated video can be circulated within minutes,” he said.
Penpushing also reports that the Minister in same vein, warned that the greater danger is not just that people may believe a lie, but that they may stop believing anything at all, stressing that fact-checking can no longer be an afterthought
“When the public can no longer distinguish between what is true and what is fabricated, trust in the media, elections and public institutions begins to suffer. Fact-checking can no longer be an afterthought’, he stated.
“Verification has to be part of the newsroom culture. Editors must ask basic but important questions: Who said this? What is the evidence? When was this photograph taken? Is this video original? Has the source been independently verified?”, Idris added
Penpushing reports that he equally charged the media to apply the same discipline to reporting government performance, just as he stated that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the country has gone through major economic reforms including petrol subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, with government reporting improvements in revenue mobilisation, increased resources to states and local governments and stronger investor confidence.
The Minister said as of May 2026, more than 2,700 kilometres of highways and major roads were under construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation, while rail projects, power, housing, agriculture and digital connectivity investments are advancing.
Penpushing further reports that he listed interventions in education and human capital including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, and programmes targeting youths, small businesses and digital skills.
“These are matters that deserve proper reporting. A responsible press should neither exaggerate achievements nor ignore them. It should examine them, verify them, ask difficult questions,” Idris said.
Penpushing also reports that he said amendments to the Electoral Act signed by President Tinubu in February 2026 deserve careful public examination and that the media must explain in simple language what changed and its implications for parties, candidates and voters.
The Minister urged editors to pay more attention to governance at the local government level, noting the Federal Government’s push for financial autonomy for the 774 local councils and equally urged reporters to track how resources are used and what projects are delivered.
Penpushing reports that Idris warned newsrooms against becoming part of the political contest, emphasizing that the job of the professional journalist is not to amplify every claim simply because it is politically attractive
“Local governments are closest to the people and are responsible for services that affect everyday life. The job of the professional journalist is not to amplify every claim simply because it is politically attractive. The job is to establish what is true, provide context and allow citizens to make their own judgments.”
Penpushing further reports that he called for stronger collaboration with fact-checking organisations, technology experts and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and urged newsrooms to invest in digital verification skills and clear procedures for handling AI-generated content.
The Minister said the Ministry of Information and National Orientation is strengthening media and information literacy through Nigeria’s partnership with UNESCO on the International Media and Information Literacy Institute.
“The task before us is bigger than protecting the credibility of one election. It is about protecting the credibility of our democracy. Let us ensure that technology does not become a tool for deceiving citizens, and that, when Nigerians go to the polls in 2027, they do so in an information environment where facts can still be found, verified and trusted’, he said
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