Northern Journalists trains in fact-checking, indigenous languages inclusive electoral coverage in 2027

From Muazu Hardawa in Kano

Journalists have been tasked to set the pace and promote elections in multilingual indigenous languages, bridge the translation gap, misinformation challenge, and promote inclusion of vulnerable groups in Nigeria’s upcoming 2027 general elections.

This was part of the outcomes of the 3-day training for the journalists, on “Technical Support, Capacity Building, Mentorship, and Skills Development on Countering Misinformation and Disinformation, Fact-checking, and AI Learning”
The training which attracted journalists from states across Northern Nigeria, including Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Katsina, Abuja, Yola, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna and others, took place in Kano State

The event was part of the European Union (EU), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark, German Coorperation support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security, and Governance (EPSG) project.
Speaking on the expectations of the workshop, a researcher with Fact Check Africa, Mustapha Lawal said the training closes a critical capacity gap to strengthen the capacity of media practitioners to make electoral information accurate, understandable, inclusive, and trustworthy across language communities ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 electoral cycle.

Lawal said in Nigeria, Language is important and part of Nigeria’s identity so it plays an important part in elections therefore as agenda setters, the media can set the pace and promote elections in Multilingual indigenous languages, bridge the translation gap, misinformation challenge and inclusion imperative, by ensuring women,persons with disabilities, rural voters, minority -language communities and other underserved groups get accurate, accessible and context-sensitive electoral information.

The resource person also pointed out that journalists, broadcasters, editors, fact-checkers, translators, and community media practitioners are strategically positioned to verify, interpret and disseminate electoral information responsibly.
In a presentation on “How misinformation and disinformation travel in indigenous languages”

Lawal explained that indigenous Language communication is a route to inclusion, but a message can change as it moves between languages and platforms.

Lawal further stated that Journalists and newsrooms spread accidental amplification of news, urging Editors to be more vigilant in gatekeeping of election reports before publishing it.

A Nigerian fact-checker, and Senior Information Disorder Analyst, from Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) Hamza Ibrahim in a presentation on
“The indigenous Language Information Ecosystem language”, said in Northern Nigeria, Hausa is the major lingua Franca but it does not replace many languages in the north.

He stated further that radio is still one of the most listened to channels of communication, with a new trend that has created opportunities for the digitization of radio on social media, while town criers are still used in communities to broadcast health, elections, and other important information.

Ibrahim also noted that in today’s world, information, news, commentaries, and interviews can be aired on social media platforms like youtube, tiktok, WhatsApp but there is a need to understand that people are more likely to understand public information when it uses familiar language, terms, and examples.

“Language carries local histories, relationships, humour, authority, and community memory, while language choices can include or exclude rural audiences, older people, new readers, and minority-language communities”, the paper noted.

The paper further noted that
Misinformation strives in indigenous language spaces in Northern Nigeria and it faces a wide spectrum of misinformation types from political falsehoods, to fabricated health advice, to conflict related rumours.

Another resource person, former Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano state Chapter, Comrade Abbas Ibrahim in a paper tagged “Ethical reporting on vulnerable communities”, said while reporting rural communities, women, returning migrants, and vulnerable communities should be reported with dignity and respect, including consideration for accuracy and content, harm prevention to eliminate harmful amplification, while striving to mitigate severe backlash risks.

While urging the trainees to deliver precise facts without distorting systematic background realities, the former NUJ Chairman spoke on the scope and coverage of target communities in electoral contexts.

He advised participants to carry along women in politics, persons with disabilities, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and rural voters, and minority groups in their reportage and do risk assessment.