SEO
Nigeria remains committed to strengthening international cooperation in order to combat misinformation and fake news threatening the country’s electoral process.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said this on Tuesday in Abuja.
This was when the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Peter Vowles, paid him a courtesy visit to discuss the UK-Nigeria partnership and opportunities for collaboration.
The minister said that misinformation and fake news remained among the major challenges confronting Nigeria, particularly as the country prepares for future elections.
He said the threats posed by misinformation, fake news, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) require concerted efforts by Nigeria and its international partners to safeguard the electoral process.
Idris said Nigeria was working with the United Kingdom (UK) and other countries to strengthen measures against information-related challenges that could undermine electoral credibility.
“We are working hard in conjunction with them as we do with other countries and with other partners to make sure that we have a smooth process for electoral process,” he said.
The minister described the engagement with the British envoy as a continuation of existing diplomatic relations and cooperation between both countries.
He said the visit gave the new high commissioner an opportunity to familiarise himself with Nigeria’s information management strategies and challenges.
Idris noted that Vowles had been in Nigeria for approximately eight weeks and was seeking to understand the country’s information landscape, particularly the role of information in the electoral process.
The minister stressed that effective information management was essential to ensuring credible elections and preventing misinformation from influencing citizens’ decisions.
He also reaffirmed Nigeria’s willingness to collaborate with international partners in addressing emerging challenges associated with digital communication and AI.
Earlier, Vowles said Nigeria remained responsible for its elections, adding that discussions with the minister focused on the electoral landscape and government communication.
He said, “Obviously, the elections in Nigeria are sovereign issues for Nigeria.”
The British envoy said his visit aimed to understand how the Nigerian government communicates with citizens and presents information about national developments.
According to him, the discussions also examined challenges confronting both Nigeria and the UK, particularly misinformation and fake news in the evolving digital environment.
“One of the challenges both our countries face sometimes is misinformation and particularly how challenging that is in a world with AI,” Vowles said.
He noted that the UK also faced similar difficulties in addressing misinformation and fake news, making the issue a potential area for stronger bilateral cooperation.
The high commissioner said both countries could benefit from developing shared approaches to tackling information-related challenges and improving communication with their citizens.
He described the visit as an opportunity to discuss the UK-Nigeria partnership, future cooperation and ways to improve information management.
“It’s a great opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the Honourable Minister of Information,” he said.
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