Abuja, November 28, 2024 – In Africa’s most populous country, misinformation is a deadly epidemic. To combat this rising threat, Nigerian celebrities: Toolz, Linda Ejiofor, Elozonam, Folu Storms, Ibrahim Suleiman, Kiki Omeili, and JayonAir— are teaming up with African public strategy and advocacy group, Gatefield, with support from global philanthropic organization, Luminate to launch the #FWDWithFacts campaign, Nigeria’s largest scale campaign to combat the spread of fake news. The initiative aims to reach millions of Nigerians through mass media and on ground, educating them about the dangers of fake news while calling for greater accountability from Big Tech companies.
In 2018, a fake photo posted on Facebook was viewed 11,000 times, sparking an ethnic conflict in Plateau State, Nigeria, leading to the tragic deaths of twelve people. Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated case. Misinformation campaigns across Africa have increased nearly 400% since 2022, affecting social and political stability, with Nigeria disproportionately affected.
During Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential elections, fact checkers reported as much as 100,000 false claims, shared across social media on a daily basis. With about nine in ten young Nigerians getting their news online, a combination of low media literacy and weak content moderation practices are fueling the proliferation of fake news, and escalating confusion, division, and violence.
The #FWDWithFacts campaign is empowering Nigerians to identify and counter misinformation while demanding stronger content moderation by Big Tech platforms in Nigeria through a petition directed at these companies and government regulators.
“I have personally seen families, careers, relationships and reputations being destroyed because of people spreading fake news on the internet with no repercussions,” says Kiki Omeili, a leading radio personality and Nollywood actor. “It is important that people think twice and verify before they contribute to destroying what one has taken so long to build.”
Social media companies like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have been criticized for scaling back content moderation efforts in Africa while relying on algorithms that amplify sensational or harmful content. This makes it easier for fake news to spread, especially during critical times like elections.
Big Tech’s approach to content moderation has drawn sharp criticisms for stark inequalities between Africa and the West. “Regulatory requirements such as Europe’s Digital Services Act, which prioritizes transparency and proactive moderation should not be an exclusive privilege of the West,” says Shirley Ewang, Advocacy Lead at Gatefield. “Big Tech needs to treat Africa with the same urgency as other regions.”
The FWD With Facts campaign advocates for a unified effort to push for better content moderation in Nigeria, — particularly to protect vulnerable groups online and control misinformation, one of the biggest threats to African democracy.
Download Campaign Assets here
