Onuoha urges newsrooms to set AI rules, fact-check desks before 2027 election
- Archbishop Sunday Onuoha wants Nigerian media to write clear AI policies and set up election verification desks.
- He spoke in Abuja at the launch of a book on digital change in the newspaper industry.
- Kano and Kaduna governors' representatives and others also urged issue-based, verified reporting.
Nigerian newsrooms should agree written rules on artificial intelligence and set up dedicated election verification desks before the 2027 general election campaigns gather pace, Archbishop Sunday Onuoha has said.
Onuoha is president of Vision Africa and a former special assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on privatisation. He spoke through the Methodist Bishop of the Diocese of Kubwa, Bishop Frederick Onoja, at the launch of a book in Abuja on Thursday.
The book, Digital Shift in Nigeria's Newspaper Industry, was written by Dr Sunday Isuwa, group news editor of Leadership Newspapers.
Onuoha said the spread of AI and digital platforms means stronger safeguards are needed against misinformation and false claims about elections. He called for "newsroom AI policies with written rules governing AI-generated material and AI-assisted journalism."
He also asked media houses to work with credible fact-checking groups rather than fight disinformation alone. Reporters covering politics, he said, should be trained in electoral law, data journalism, digital investigations, spotting AI-generated content, conflict-sensitive reporting and hate speech monitoring.
Trust and turnout
Onuoha wants a clear line between advertising and editorial work, with sponsored political content properly labelled. He also called for prompt and visible corrections, more reporting in local languages, safety training for journalists and hotlines where citizens can report suspicious claims.
He urged journalists to focus election coverage on issues rather than personalities, naming jobs, education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, corruption, poverty, climate change and economic management.
Isuwa said the pressure to publish fast must not be allowed to damage accuracy and public trust. "Technology alone cannot guarantee good journalism," he said, adding that ethical practice and careful verification still matter.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by Information Commissioner Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, raised concern about hate speech and personal attacks in campaigns. He said political debate should centre on issues, and that elected offices deserve respect whoever holds them.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, represented by Information Commissioner Ahmed Maiyaki, asked journalists to verify facts and weigh the effect of what they report. He also warned that digital technology and AI are putting media jobs at risk, and that journalists need multimedia skills to stay relevant.
Reverend John Joseph Hayab, country director of the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, said trust keeps a media house alive. "When it loses the currency of trust, it's just a matter of time before it will shut down," he said.
Kudla Milinda Haske, founder of Aerokeys Nigeria Limited, raised concern about low voter turnout. He said a country of about 230 million people should have at least 50 million voting, but fewer than 20 million did in past elections.
What happens next depends on newsrooms: whether they write AI rules and set up verification desks before campaigns begin, as Onuoha asked.
