Nigerian Government Urges Broadcasters for Responsible Reporting

On September 30, 2026, in Bauchi, the Nigerian government, represented by Minister Abdul Mohammed Isa and Director General of Voice of Nigeria Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, addressed broadcasters at the 3rd Annual National Conference of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB). The conference focused on "Responsible Broadcasting in an Election Year: Countering Misinformation, Promoting Peace and Strengthening Democracy." The Minister highlighted the critical role of broadcasting in disseminating accurate and verified information, especially with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence creating convincing fake content.

He cautioned against prioritizing unverified trending materials and clarified that responsible broadcasting does not equate to favorable broadcasting. The government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is modernizing broadcasting infrastructure, including the launch of Nigeria’s Digital Switch Over platform in June 2026 and ongoing upgrades to public broadcasters.

The Minister also stressed the importance of media literacy and urged broadcasters to avoid incitement and hate speech as political activities intensify.