Officials push for media literacy as Nigeria’s 2027 election draws near
As Nigeria’s 2027 general elections draw closer, some officials are raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process amid the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) among the Nigerian voting population and the need for stronger media literacy.
To address these concerns, the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Foundation will, on Saturday, convened a virtual session themed “Minds over AI: MIL and Nigeria’s 2027 Election.”
The event, organised in partnership with ROUNDCHECK, a youth-led fact-checking organisation, forms part of activities marking the 2025 UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week.
AI and the future of elections
According to the organisers, the conversation will explore how AI tools including deepfakes and misinformation could shape voter perception and trust in the electoral process.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Chiamaka Okafor, Executive Director of the MILID Foundation, said the 2023 general election and the events that surrounded it had given them an insight into what the 2027 run will look like, “especially as technology continues to advance and various AI softwares have become easily accessible and usable.”
Ms Okafor added that the election witnessed the deployment of deepfakes and coordinated disinformation campaigns to influence the outcome.
“One thing we are assured of in 2027, is that we will have a population that is heavily impacted by artificial intelligence,” she said.
“Now we must worry about what this impact will translate into in terms of the credibility of the elections.”
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Panel of media advocates
The discussion will feature Suraj Olunifesi, an associate professor of mass communication at the University of Lagos and global co-lead of the UNESCO University Network on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, as the lead discussant.
Mr Olunifesi will be joined by Hannah Ajakaiye, journalist and founder of FactsMatterNG, who brings years of experience in journalism and fact-checking; Caleb Ijioma, Executive Director of Roundcheck; and Lois Ugbede, editor at Dubawa, the fact-checking arm of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
The organisers say the panel will explore the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on the 2027 general election in Nigeria and the role of Media and Information Literacy (MIL).
The virtual event will be open to journalists, researchers, educators, and members of civil society interested in the intersection of technology, media, and democracy.
To join the conversation, register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/4umIuqRhR7e6XySPdpmyqQ