NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
Politics

Use 2023 election to create new vision for nationhood- AFRICMIL urges Nigerians

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By Angela Atabo

African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has urged Nigerians to use the 2023 election to create a new vision for nationhood and citizenship.

Dr Chido Onumah, the Coordinator, AFRICMIL said this at a Pre-election Conference on Democracy, Federalism and the 2023 Election organisered by the Centre with support from Social Development Integrated Centre (SocialAction)in Abuja on Thursday.

Onumah said recent calls for a return to an undefined ‘true Federalism ‘has complexified the ongoing national debate in the context of federalism as an ideology ,a political system of form of government.

“As we heard into a very important election in one week ,these questions are begging for answers.

“It is against this backdrop that this conference provides space for serious and constructive dialogue from scholars, thought leaders ,youths, workers ,politicians and social activists to make contributions relevant to promoting emancipatory and progressive perspectives on democracy, federalism and nation-building in Nigeria.

“We hope that at the end of this conference we would be able to shape the conversation in the run-up to the General Elections, redefine a new vision of nationhood and citizenship,” he said.

Onumah said the conference would also help to define concrete options for federalism and nation-building including resource control, protecting citizens and residency of all people regardless of wherever they select to call home.

He said it would also identify possibilities for advancing a national vision through collective engagement with the mainstream political parties ahead of the elections.

Dr Sam Amadi, the Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts ,said that so far the system had not carried Nigerians along in terms of having a say in governance.

Amadi said that over the years, the focus of politics in Nigeria was made to be about acquisition for self and for group and not for national development and this calls for change to peole centred governance.

“The problem is that you have not developed a politics that is nationalistic that is focused on the country as one entity so people in power see power as a way to win the economic power for selfish or group interest.

“It is important for Nigerians to develop courage to think of ways to do things differently to tackle the root cause of the national problem and develop political will to proffer lasting solutions.

“This can be through political organisation to deepen engagement on tackling issues as we are seeing in this electoral process , people need to always ask the right questions, take courage, organise and put in authority persons who think like they do,” he said.

Amadi said that citizens needed to elect peopele who understood the challenges facing the nation and were willing to do something to solve the problem.

“So there is no way you can run from politics, you have to organise, win power, and push the ideas that can change the country. I think that’s the way forward for Nigeria.”

A Policy Analyst , Hauwa Mustapha , said it was important to invest in people because democracy was about the people and about participation.

According to Mustapha, democracy is about people taking control of their destiny , managing the resources and being part of the decision making about things that affects their lives.

“So if that is what democracy is about, then we must invest in people’s empowerment, people need to be aware and have access to information as well as access to participatory democracy.

“How issues are debated, how programmes are developed, how resources are shared how governance is done, the people have to be part of it.

“Once people are part of the process of governance, then you deepen democracy, then you you reduce the friction and conflicts in the society because conflicts occur largely because people are in disagreements of happenings around them.”

Mustapha said that people were usually not comfortable with policies and programmes they felt excluded from.

She however ,said that once they were part of decision making process, even if things went wrong, they would take a collectively blame and decide how to fix it but once they were not part of the process and things went wrong it could result in anger and conflict.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Auwalu Kudu/Ali Baba-Inuwa

Politics

Muslim scholars pray for Tinubu’s victory, peaceful elections

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By Salisu Sani-Idris

A group, Concerned Yoruba Muslim Scholars in Nigeria, on Friday held intercessional prayers for peaceful elections and victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the prayers at the Abuja National Mosque, the Secretary-General of the scholars, Prof. Olaiya Olaitan, said the situation of things in the country required divine intervention.

Olaitain said: “We are gathered here today to seek Allah’s divine favour over the forthcoming elections, pray for peaceful and successful democratic transition.

“We are equally praying for victory of our endorsed presidential candidate, Sen. BolaTinubu and his running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, who are determined to ensure good governance in the country during their tenure.

“The prayers, which are part of a continuous process are also going on at various major central mosques across the country throughout the period of the transition process.”

He said the organisation had sat severally and took a decision to endorse Tinubu, adding, “the country is yearning for a capable person that would take over from President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Olaitan called on the political players to abide by the law and avoid making statement that could destabilise the country and truncate the electoral process.

He said: “We are also appealing to the electorate to be more patient with the leaders at all levels.

“This is moreso that the period of the present administration is winding up and be hopeful that if Tinubu is elected, the country will witness more prosperity.” (NAN)(www.nanneww.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

Politics

Nigeria’s problem not corruption but lack of cohesion- Ikpeazu

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By Emmanuel Mogbede

Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Thursday in Abuja said Nigeria’s problem is not corruption, but lack of cohesion and unity among the people.

He said this at the public presentation of a book titled: “The Biochemistry of Environmental Pollution”, which he said was his contribution to the body of knowledge.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the book was jointly written by Ikpeazu and Kalu Kalu.

Kalu has a Ph.D in Nutritional Biochemistry and Lexicology, he is a lecturer in the department of Veterinary Biochemistry and Animal Production in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

Ikpeazu obtained his Ph.D in Pharmacological Biochemistry and Toxicology from the University of Calabar.

“The greatest problem of Nigeria today is not security, neither is it economic. It is lack of cohesion. It is disunity. Our problem is mutual suspicion and lack of mutual respect,” Ikpeazu said.

He added that to build the country, we must come together irrespective of tribe and religion.

“We should see the country as belonging to all of us under one God,” the Abia state governor said.

Speaking on the aggrieved five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, otherwise known as G-5 governors, which he belonged, Ikpeazu said the agitation of the governors was beyond 2023.

He said that it was all about inclusiveness and what the governors thought was at the root of the country’s challenge.

“If I come to a point in my life as a politician and you produce two or three critical officers of my party and they are all coming from one particular geo-political zone.

“I will agitate, even if they come from my geo-political zone, everybody has to be brought on the table.

“If you exclude Igbos from Northern Nigeria I will ask a question, I will also protest. If you exclude some people from Western Nigeria, I will still protest. For me, it is about including everybody.

“The youth, the women, people from the North and South, all of us, we need to do social mobilisation in order for us to solve the economic problems of this country,” he said.

On the new book, Ikpeazu said the essence was to solve problems, adding that his study and sojourn in the area of biochemistry would be in vain, ”if I could not contribute to the body of knowledge”.

“It is this drive that propelled me to keep at it till I achieved it. When I came over to the flip side of public service, to serve as governor, I thought that would have been a point of divergence and disconnection from my first love – Biochemistry.

“But each time, I look at every issue, and every problem from the perspective of biochemistry,” the governor said.

He recalled that in 2013, when he had the opportunity to serve as the Deputy General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, he saw the dimension of biochemistry.

This, he said, was especially in terms of trying to explain the causes and the diseases and the derailment we suffer every day because of the pollutants in the environment.

“Biochemistry refuses to leave me and I had to go back and pick it up. I feel very fulfilled because this is a journey I started over 20 years ago, it is not easy at all,” Ikpeazu said.

He added that writing a book on biochemistry did not leave him with too much choice, because there were rules and principles which must be reflected in interventions.

He said for him, it was the icing on the cake, adding that as an academia, he felt fulfilled and happy writing the book.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Ismail Abdulaziz

Politics

Delta receives materials for Feb. 25 election

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By Mercy Obojeghren

The Delta office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has received sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the Feb. 25, presidential and National Assembly election.

Rev. Monday Udoh-Tom, the state’s INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) said this when he addressed representatives of political parties at the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in Asaba on Thursday.

“We are here to inspect the sensitive and non-sensitive materials from our headquarters in Abuja for the presidential and National Assembly elections on Feb. 25.

“We are also here to ascertain if the materials on ground matches with what we have in our check list as well as allow representatives of the various political parties to inspect the materials and they have done that.

“We already have the materials for the presidential and the senatorial election, but we observed that the ones for House or Representative are not available. We will notify our headquarters about that,” he said.

The REC urged political parties to sensitise the electorate on the need to come out and cast their vote during the elections.

Udoh-Tom also urged them to ensure that they work toward violence free election.

Also, the State Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Mr Emeka Bidokwu confirmed that the materials were intact.

“All the political parties are represented here and we have seen the materials.

“We have the materials for the presidential and that of the senatorial election, but that of house of representative are not available for now. But INEC has promised us that before the end of the week, they will be available,” he said.

In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ari Ali assured of adequate security before, during and after the elections.

The commissioner, represented by ASP Sa’ad Ibrahim, said the police was ready for the elections.

”We assure the general public that the police is very much ready for a peaceful and credible election come Feb. 25, 2023. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Ali Baba-Inuwa

Politics

My immediate plan is to tackle poverty in Nigeria- ADP presidential candidate

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Yabagi Sani, Presidential Candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) says eradicating poverty would be his topmost priority, if elected in the Feb. 25 election.

Sani said this when he spoke during a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum  in Abuja.

He said that his party had developed what he termed as Noah’s Ark toward salvaging the country from its current predicaments.

“If I’m elected as president in the Feb. 25 election, the first thing is that it will become clear that there is a new beginning in Nigeria, because we don’t belong to the old brigade.

“Our first action will be to tackle the issue of poverty, poverty alleviation will be our first priority, because Nigeria has enough resources to go round.

“We are just about 200 million people and even if we have a double of that population, God has given us resources to be able to take care of Nigerians.

“If you look at the global trend today, you will find out that Nigeria is moving towards becoming a country that will be recon with economically, socially and politically, we are the largest economy in Africa with the largest population,” he said.

Sani said that Africa has more than 35 per cent of global resource endowment.

“More than 35 per cent of the global resources are deposited in Africa.

“The international community is interested in Nigeria in spite of her challenges because the country matters to them.

“They know they don’t have the resources we have here, and if we get it right and things begin to work the way they should.

“Not only Africa, but the entire global economy will experience a boost that everybody will be happier for,’’ he said.

Sani said that the ADP was registered in 2017 to provide credible alternative to both All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“The ADP was registered as a child of necessity because as at that time we realised that the political space was experiencing signs of collapse, at that time the APC and the PDP were in disarray.

“That was how we came together and applied for registration from INEC to provide credible alternative for Nigerians and since that time we have been recording successes in terms of deepening democracy and giving hope to Nigerians.

“Like we all know Nigeria is one of the most favoured countries in terms of natural and material resources and in terms of human capital resources that every country can aspire to have.

“In terms of economy itself we have the largest economy in Africa, and when you look at our population we are also among the top five in the world, Nigeria is big in all aspects of life.

“We play big in the scheme of things globally,” he said.

Sani added:” It is sad that the country has been left in the hands of those who don’t understand the essence of power.

” Nigeria’s economy is the fastest growing economy in the world, it has the capacity to grow faster than any economy because we have the resources, we are number six among countries exporting oil and gas.

” We are going to connect Nigeria with the  international community through ICT and energy transition,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

 

Politics

Kwara NNPP governorship candidate explains agendas on agric., health development

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Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, Kwara NNPP governorship candidate

 

By Abigael Joshua.

 

Prof. Oba Abdulraheem, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) governorship candidate in Kwara has vowed to ensure food security and wealth creation in the state, if voted into power.

 

Oba who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on his agriculture and health agendas said he would take advantage of abundance of rich arable land in the state to develop sustainable agriculture.

 

The former chairman of the Federal Character Commission said there would be incentives for small holding subsistence farming.

 

“Small holding, subsistence farming will enjoy incentives of subsidised land clearing, tilling and improved seedlings.

 

“Advantage will be taken of the cotton, groundnuts, roots, rice and grains belt of the Kwara North to promote commercial agriculture.

 

“Ultimately, small and medium light industries such as ginnneries, groundnuts oil and rice mills will be developed,” the governorship candidate said.

 

He said the forests of the southern parts of the state would support oil-palm, cocoa, rubber and root crops commercial agriculture.

 

Oba promised to develop access roads in the agricultural belts to ease transportation of farmers and their produce.

 

“Improved rural access roads scheme will facilitate access and timely evacuation of farm produce,” he said.

 

Speaking on his health agenda, Oba said the focus would be on primary, preventive health care in order to achieve minimal maternal and infant mortality.

 

He said this would be achieved by bringng healthcare facilities within easy reach of rural and sub-urban communities.

 

Oba said his administration would build more cottage hospitals and community health centres, reposition all health training institutions, and provide safe and potable water.

 

“Incentives would be provided for rural posting of health personnel, while more community health personnel will be recruited and trained in collaboration with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital,” he promised.

 

Oba said as far as he was concerned, no child should die of any preventable disease. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

Politics

Restructuring has been politicised in Nigeria – Sani

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By Naomi Sharang

Yabagi Sani, Presidential Candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), says the issue of restructuring has long been addressed in Nigeria, describing the current clamour for restructuring as political.

Sani, also the National Chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said this when he appeared at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

“The issue of restructuring has long been settled, what we are having as call for restructuring is political, the Nigerian system is made in such a way that issues like that are addressed without causing dislocations or problems to the system.

“We have the National Assembly, we have organs like Revenue and Mobilisation Commission which is responsible for fixing salaries and sharing of nation’s resources and to monitor the way they are being utilise.

“Nigeria is not a country without a Constitution.

“Restructuring is an already settled issue in Nigeria, these are issues that have either been settled through the constitution or conventions like the creation of the six geopolitical zones and others,” he said.

Sani added: “The creation of six geopolitical zones for instance is not in the Constitution but it is to address certain political realignment.

“When you go to the constitution we have issues on exclusive and concurrent lists, if the legislation feels that some issues be taken from the exclusive list to the concurrent list and that it why I said that the issue of restructuring has long been settled.

“Your National Assembly members are just there to make that, you have elected representatives from all over the country in the two Chambers of the National Assembly as Senators and as members of House of Representatives.

“The lawmakers have just two functions- to make laws and to embark on oversight to ensure that the laws are working.

“The essence of oversight is to find out if these laws are working if they are not, then they have to rejig them and that is why I said restructuring is already impeded in our constitution.”

He said the same thing could be applied to the current Naira redesign policy which had generally heated debates in the country.

“Look at the problem we are facing today about naira re-design, a well intentioned policy that is supposed to be applauded by all Nigerians. In fact it is stated in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) establishment act that it must change Nigeria’s currency every 10 years.

“But because the policy wasn’t well thought out or given necessary analysis in term of social implications it is rather causing untold hardship on Nigerians. This is what we are talking about,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
NNL/ABI/IS
========
Edited by Ismail AbdulAziz

Politics

Centre inaugurates app on 2023 general election

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By Angela Atabo

The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), a civil society organisation, has inaugurated an Electoral Act App aimed at keeping Nigerians abreast with information on the 2023 electoral process.

Executive Director PLAC, Clement Nwankwo, said this at the Unveiling and Dissemination of PLAC Electoral Act Web and Mobile App funded by the European Union (EU) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Nwankwo said that the 2023 General Election was a critical milestone in the history of Nigeria’s democracy and the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act had made it more important for people to be abreast with the technology that would be used.

He said that the Electoral Act Web and mobile app was part of PLAC’s awareness and dissemination of the provisions of the Act ahead of the 2023 General Election.

He said that it was a reference material that featured a complete text of the Act passed in 2022.

He added that it explanations for every section of the law, relevant court decisions that interpret the provisions and demonstrated its practical application as well as reference to additional reading material for researchers.

“The PLAC Electoral Act App contains the complete text of the Nigerian Electoral Act passed in 2022;it comes in a simplified web version as well as Android and iOS mobile versions.

“The objective is to disseminate the provisions of the law to the public and ensure that citizens have it in a readily accessible format,” he said.

Nwankwo urged Nigerians to leverage on the app to build their knowledge on the electoral process for free, fair and credible election as well as post electoral issues and it would also help lawyers during tribunals.

Ms Laolu Olawumi, Programme Manager, Democracy and Rule of Law, European Union, commended PLAC for putting together such a great tool to empower Nigerians with knowledge.

“It is an excellent initiative, that is easy to download and use.

“I was really surprised with the amount and the quality of information,I think whether you are a lawyer, or you are just somebody who is keen on research, or you are just an average citizen wanting to understand the electoral law, this really sets the tone and helps you.

“So embrace it, immerse yourself in the information and also connect with the process and it will help you authenticate certain materials that you receive to be able to engage with the process.

“What this app does for us is to help bridge that gap between the information and the actual process, what I would really love to see is that people are aware of this, because I think it’s excellent,” he said.

Olawumi said because the election was important for Nigeria,it was extremely important that the legal framework was well established and that people found it accessible as well as share it and interpret it in the way and manner it deserved to be interpreted.(NAN)(nannews.ng)

Editing by Ali Baba-Inuwa

Politics

CSO demands removal of INEC REC in Lagos

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By Adeyemi Adeleye

 

Barely 10 days to the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections,  the Nigeria’s Voters Watch (NVW) a CSO, has urged INEC to remove its Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Olusegun Agbaje.

The group had alleged that Agbaje made  “disturbing utterances”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NVW is a CSO accredited by INEC for the election.

Addressing  newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos,  Dr Stella Ford, the NVW Convener, said that Agbaje’s immediate removal became necessary to prevent him from presiding over  the affairs of the forthcoming elections in Lagos state.

According to her, the removal can be either by suspension or termination of appointment with immediate effect, to curtail and minimise the damages he has caused already by sowing the seeds of bias and doubt in the public.”

On INEC’s withdrawal of 240 polling units nationwide from the nation’s overall 176,846 polling units and the re-distribution of some voters to polling units, Ford called for more public education.

“INEC has not put enough efforts to educating voters on these changes and how affected voters can locate their new PUs

“We urge INEC as a matter of urgency, to educate voters by sending SMS, Phone contacts and general public education.

“INEC should also display the  voter’s registration at least,  10 days before election, starting from tomorrow to give voters enough time to verify their PUs,” she said.

According to her, INEC should take safety and security of voters very seriously in view of threats and physical injuries already suffered by potential voters.

“Safety and security of votes cast on election day–INEC should, as a matter of urgency, withdraw any arrangements regarding the transportation of voting materials from private interested individuals in Lagos state  and nationwide.

“The disturbing voice mail that has reached us and many people, including  the media  and law enforcement agencies where some  political party members threatened their neighbors even with physical removal from Lagos state  if they failed to vote APC should be taken very seriously.

“Information reaching us is that the law enforcement agencies are looking into the matter. We urge that prompt prosecution should be commenced immediately,” Ford said.

The convener said that INEC and law enforcement agencies should sanction political parties and their members who commit acts of intimidation, physical threat and verbal threats.

“We recommend that the international community should consider revoking visas of such political leaders and deny them entry to the civilized world,” she said.

Ford added that INEC should let Nigeria and Nigerians know what would be the fate of Nigerian students who did not have the time to collect their PVCs before the deadline.

“It is great injustice to disenfranchise a large number of our youth population,” she said.

Responding, Agbaje told NAN that he had not made any disturbing statement that should warrant his removal, “there is no statement I made that I cannot defend.”

The REC said that he would not be derailed in the mandate to be neutral and transparent in the conduct of the forthcoming elections.

On voter enlightenment over the re-distribution of voters from some congested polling units in the state, Agbaje said that INEC teams had begun sensitisation of voters in the affected units.

“We are doing it. In fact, we have our vehicles going round local government by local government, covering two local government areas each day, and we have  pasted the register of voters in various affected polling units.

“We are also engaging the community development associations’ members to help us talk to their people in various places.

“All these are going on, and if they (NVW) have  not seen us in the area, it is because they are not within the area we have touched,” he said.

On safety and security, Agbaje said that INEC had maintained that it did not support attacks on any person by political thugs.

According to him, INEC’s job is to conduct the election while other agencies are to secure the environment for INEC to do its job.

“We have told our politicians to practise our politics without bitterness. We should not have rancorous campaigns.

“We have also met with security agencies and we have appealed to them to help us secure the environment,” he said.

Meanwhile, INEC had said that  the REC could not  be redeployed over unfounded allegations.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman,  Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi  in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja,  urged those demanding Agbaje’s redeployment to perish the thought. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

 

Edited by Chioma Ugboma

Politics

Elections:  Google commits $2m on fight against misinformation

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By Stellamaris Ashinze

 

Google.org has announced a grant of two million dollars for Nigeria Fact Checkers to leverage Artificial Intelliegence (AI) to fight against misinformation at the forthcoming general elections.

Dawn Dimowo, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Google Nigeria,  said this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.

Dimowo said that Full Fact, a UK-based charity, would partner with some organisations to fight misinformation during the forthcoming general election in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Full-Fact tackles misinformation through fact checks and campaigns.

Dimowo said that Google.org would continue to use its resources and technology to make a positive impact on society.

She said that continued support for Full Fact in Nigeria was an exciting opportunity to help stop the spread of misinformation and promote accurate information during the election.

“This builds on our ongoing efforts to support local fact-checking initiatives as Google is proud to support this important project and make a positive difference in the world.

‘’Collaborating with International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) members Africa Check, Dubawa, and FactCheckHub, Full Fact will expand the use of its AI tools to stop the spread of misinformation during the election.

‘’The project made possible by a $2 million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, has already seen remarkable results.

‘’With the support of seven dedicated technical Google.org Fellows who worked on a pro bono basis, Full Fact’s AI technology has seen a 1,000x increase in claim detection.

“That is identifying which claims are most important to fact-check and help scale their fact-checks to appear in 237 million search results in 2020,’’ she said.

According to her, the technology developed by Full Fact since 2015, will be used in Nigerian election for the first time.

Dimowo said that the technology would offer instant transcription services and real-time fact-checking during debates, speeches and throughout the election process to increase the speed and accuracy of information dissemination.

She said that Full Fact would also provide training and support to its local fact-checking partners during the election process.

According to her, despite the emergence of organisations and initiatives aimed at countering the spread of misinformation and promoting accurate information in Nigeria, fact-checking still faces challenges such as limited resources and difficulties in accessing information.

‘’However, with the help of AI technology, Full Fact is determined to make it harder for false and misleading claims to spread and erode trust in democracy,’’ she added.

Will Moy, the Chief Executive Officer Full Fact, said that every vote should be an informed vote.

“We have seen firsthand how bad information spreads during an election and it should not be allowed to undermine democracy,” Moy said.

According to Moy, our AI tools, with support from Google.org, help fact checkers stay ahead of false claims and promote accurate information. We’re proud to support our partners in Nigeria during this important time.

Opeyemi Kehinde, Editor, FactCheckHub, said that using the Full Fact AI tool, built in collaboration with Africa Check, had enhanced the work ahead of the general election.

Kehinde said that since being onboarded, our team of fact-checkers and researchers at the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition (NFC) have been utilising the AI platform to source claims for debunking easily.

He said that the platform also comes in handy for our live checks of political town halls and debates for candidates, especially its live transcription feature, which we hope to utilise in the days before the election.

Kemi Busari, Editor, Dubawa, said, Full Fact AI has been very helpful in the lead up to the elections in Nigeria because of the tools searching for claims and even identifying persistent spreaders of falsehood.

Busari said that these tools, combined, would further help fact-checkers to hold politicians accountable and help people access accurate information about the election.

David Ajikobi, Nigerian Editor at Africa Check, said that Full Fact’s AI Tools, which Africa Check helped to develop, allows the coalition to monitor news websites, social media pages and transcribe live TV or radio to find claims to fact check.

Ajikobi said that this had boosted the coalition’s resolve to significantly reduce the spread and impact of election-related misinformation and disinformation.

He said that during the course of the Nigerian elections, Full Fact AI would share fact checks images, videos, and impact stories from their fact-checking service. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

 

Edited by Ifeynwa Okonkwo/Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

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