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Task media on neutrality
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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Governors of Kano and Kaduna States, Abba Yusuf and Uba Sani, have raised concern over unhealthy political campaigns, especially hate speech.
Yusuf and Sani implored journalists to promote responsible reporting, curb hate speech and guard against misinformation.
The governors spoke yesterday at the launch of a book titled “Digital Shift in Nigeria’s Newspaper Industry”, by the Group News Editor of Leadership Newspapers, Dr Sunday Isuwa, in Abuja.
They warned that personality attacks, divisive political narratives and unverified reports could undermine democratic institutions and public confidence in the electoral process.
Yusuf, represented by the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, said the growing use of hate speech and personal attacks in political discourse was harmful to democracy.
“What we are seeing is not really healthy to our democracy, particularly the practices of hate speech that we are witnessing and turning politics into personality attacks,” he said.
He stressed that political competition should focus on issues rather than personal attacks against opponents.
Similarly, Governor Sani, represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, said journalists should look beyond reporting campaign events to examine facts and ensure their coverage contributed to democracy.
He urged journalists to verify information thoroughly and consider the implications of their reports for the country’s democratic development.
He said: “In these elections, we must look beyond just reporting events, look very deeply, verify facts, and ensure what we report is contributing to democracy.
“Campaigns will end. Posters will end. Candidates, of course, some will win and some will lose. But at the end of the day, what is more important is this corporate entity called Nigeria.”
He also warned that technological changes were reshaping newsroom operations and putting some media jobs at risk.
He said newspaper production had changed significantly, with shrinking newsrooms and fewer workers handling tasks that previously required separate teams.
According to him, journalists must develop multimedia skills to remain relevant as artificial intelligence increasingly influences news production.
Earlier, a former Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Privatisation, Dr Sunday Onuoha, called on media organisations to establish clear policies governing the use of artificial intelligence in journalism ahead of the 2027 elections.
Onuoha, who was represented by the Methodist Bishop of Kubwa Diocese, Bishop Frederick Onoja, made the recommendations while presenting a paper at the event.
The President of Vision Africa also urged media organisations to establish dedicated election verification teams before political campaigns intensify.
He said: “Develop newsroom AI policies with written rules governing AI-generated material and AI-assisted journalism.”
He also called for partnerships with credible fact-checking organisations, warning that individual newsrooms could struggle to counter the spread of disinformation without collaboration.
Onuoha urged media houses to train political reporters in electoral law, data journalism, digital investigation, AI detection, conflict-sensitive reporting and hate-speech monitoring.
He further recommended a clear separation between advertising and editorial decisions, as well as proper labelling of sponsored political content.
The cleric said newsrooms should strengthen correction policies, expand reporting in local languages and provide journalists with appropriate safety training for coverage of volatile electoral environments.
He also advocated the establishment of misinformation hotlines through which citizens could submit suspicious claims for verification.
On election coverage, Onuoha urged journalists to prioritise issues affecting citizens rather than the personalities of political candidates.
He listed employment, education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, corruption, poverty, climate change, economic management and governance as areas deserving greater attention.
In addition, the author, Isuwa, warned journalists against allowing the pressure to publish quickly in the digital age to undermine accuracy, ethical conduct and public trust.
He identified misinformation, changing business models and declining confidence in the media as major challenges confronting the newspaper industry.
“Digital tools can help journalism reach more people and tell stories in new ways. But technology alone cannot guarantee good journalism,” he said.
“That still depends on ethical practice, careful verification, fairness, and commitment to serving the public.”
The author said the book examined how digital platforms had changed the production, distribution and consumption of news while highlighting the responsibilities accompanying those changes.
He said the publication was intended to promote media literacy and encourage journalists to adapt to technological developments without abandoning the principles of the profession.
“We need conversations that help journalists adapt without losing the principles that make their work valuable. We need readers who can engage critically with the news they encounter,” Isuwa said.
Also speaking, the Country Director of Global Peace Foundation Nigeria and Chairman of the Northern Christian Association, John Joseph Hayab, said public trust remained essential to the survival of media organisations.
“No matter how much any media organisation makes, when it loses the currency of trust, it is just a matter of time before it will shut down,” he said.
Hayab urged Nigerians to take greater ownership of the democratic process, arguing that democracy should serve citizens rather than politicians alone.
He cited the level of public attention to election results in Osun State as an example of citizens following the electoral process closely.
He also urged political parties and politicians to demonstrate greater commitment to the country beyond their pursuit of electoral victories.
Meanwhile, the Founder of Aerokeys Nigeria Limited, Kudla Milinda Haske, called for greater public awareness to encourage Nigerians to participate in elections.
Haske expressed concern that voter participation remained low compared with the country’s population.
“If democracy is truly government of the people, by the people, and for the people, a country of 230 million should at least have about 50 million people participating in the election. But we had less than 20 million,” he said.
He argued that election campaigns should do more to explain the importance of voting and motivate citizens to participate in choosing their leaders.
Haske also proposed using respected individuals with public credibility to encourage voter participation and promote peaceful elections.
He urged Nigerians to take the 2027 elections seriously and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards to participate in the democratic process.
