馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
Media and CSOs launch #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign to combat fake news ahead of Osun and 2027 elections
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
Journalists, fact-checkers, and civil society organizations have initiated a nationwide #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign to address misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech in anticipation of the Osun State governorship election and the 2027 general elections. This initiative follows a three-day regional capacity-building workshop in Lagos, themed "Truth at the Ballot: Strengthening Media and Civil Society for Democratic and Peaceful Elections in Nigeria." The workshop, organized by the Fundaci贸n para la Internacionalizaci贸n de las Administraciones P煤blicas in partnership with FactCheckAfrica under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project, brought together participants from the South-West and South-East geopolitical zones. Participants noted that false information on digital platforms can influence voter behavior and erode confidence in electoral processes, with women, youth, persons with disabilities, and minority groups being particularly vulnerable to online harassment. They also acknowledged that while Artificial Intelligence offers opportunities for journalism, it also presents risks through synthetic media and automated misinformation campaigns. The communiqu茅 highlighted that electoral misinformation often exploits ethnic, religious, regional, and political divisions. Participants committed to strengthening verification practices, promoting evidence-based journalism, and integrating fact-checking into newsroom and advocacy proce
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
FIFA has cleared United States forward Folarin Balogun to play in the country's FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Belgium. Balogun had received a red card and an automatic one-match suspension in the USA's Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he scored the winning goal. However, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee reversed the suspension ahead of Monday's knockout fixture in Seattle, determining that the disciplinary measure's implementation should be suspended. This decision was made despite the United States Soccer Federation having no formal appeal avenue under FIFA regulations. The incident was contentious because the Video Assistant Referee intervened, prompting Brazilian referee Raphael Claus to review the challenge, even though Balogun was not initially cautioned. The U.S. Soccer Federation welcomed the decision, stating their focus is on the match against Belgium. Balogun is the United States' leading scorer in the tournament with three goals. FIFA's decision aligns with Chapter 4, Article 27 of its Disciplinary Code, which allows a judicial body to suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure. Balogun's availability is expected to boost the United States as they aim for a quarter-final spot.
Must ReadThe Nigeria Customs Service has enhanced its collaboration with the African Export-Import Bank Afreximbank to accelerate intra-African trade and address barriers to the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA. This renewed partnership was affirmed during a visit by Dr. George Elombi, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, to Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi at the Customs headquarters in Abuja. The discussions focused on expanding trade facilitation initiatives, harmonizing customs procedures, strengthening regional transit systems, and developing mechanisms for more efficient cross-border trade. Adeniyi emphasized that the partnership is built on the belief that Africa's prosperity will be driven by trade among African countries. He noted that the collaboration would support Afreximbank's regional transit initiatives, accelerate the development of one-stop border posts, and promote global best practices in customs administration. Elombi commended the Customs Service for its leadership in regional integration, stating that Afreximbank is committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen trade facilitation and accelerate AfCFTA implementation. The meeting also reviewed the successful collaboration during the Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade in November 2025. Separately, Adeniyi identified the lack of interoperable customs systems as a major challenge to AfCFTA implementation. This was discussed during the signing
Journalists, fact-checkers, and civil society organizations have initiated a nationwide #CheckBeforeYouPost campaign to combat misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech in anticipation of the Osun State governorship election and the 2027 general elections in Nigeria. This resolution emerged from a three-day regional capacity-building workshop in Lagos, organized by Fundaci贸n para la Internacionalizaci贸n de las Administraciones P煤blicas in partnership with FactCheckAfrica, under the European Union Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project. Participants, including media professionals and digital rights advocates from the South-West and South-East geopolitical zones, highlighted that false information on digital platforms can influence voter behavior and erode confidence in electoral processes. They noted that women, young people, persons with disabilities, and minority groups are particularly vulnerable to online harassment and hate speech during elections. The communiqu茅 also acknowledged that while Artificial Intelligence offers opportunities, it presents risks through synthetic media and automated misinformation campaigns. Participants committed to strengthening verification practices, promoting evidence-based journalism, and integrating fact-checking into newsroom and advocacy processes. They plan to use Open-Source Intelligence, reverse image searches, geolocation techniques, and AI-assisted verification tools. The campaign encourages Nigerians to v