On a Thursday afternoon in Abuja, the launch of a book about digital transformation in Nigerian newspapers turned into a wake-up call for the country’s media and political class. The book, Digital Shift in Nigeria’s Newspaper Industry, authored by Dr Sunday Isuwa, the Group News Editor of Leadership Newspapers, was meant to explore how technology is changing journalism. But the speakers at the event made it clear that the stakes go far beyond newsroom gadgets and software. Archbishop Sunday Onuoha, President of Vision Africa and a former Special Assistant to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on Privatisation, used the platform to issue a strong warning ahead of the 2027 general election. Speaking through the Methodist Bishop of the Diocese of Kubwa, Bishop Frederick Onoja, the archbishop said Nigerian media organisations must adopt clear artificial intelligence policies, create election verification desks, and strengthen fact-checking partnerships before political campaigns intensify. He argued that the growing use of AI and digital platforms has created new dangers. Misinformation, disinformation, and manipulated content can now spread across social media in ways that were impossible a few years ago. Journalists, he said, are no longer just competing with each other; they are competing with algorithms, bots, and politically motivated actors who understand how to exploit digital platforms. Onuoha warned that without deliberate safeguards, the 2027 election could be overwhelmed by electoral disinformation, and public trust in both the media and democracy would suffer. He did not mince words. He said newsrooms need to see this as an emergency. They must prepare their systems, train their staff, and set clear rules before the noise of election season begins. His speech was not just an academic observation. It was a call to action, delivered with the urgency of a man who has seen how fragile democratic institutions can become when information is weaponised. The setting—a book launch—made the message even more appropriate. Here was a book about digital change, serving as the background for a conversation about digital responsibility.
If the archbishop’s opening warning was the alarm, his detailed proposals were the fire escape plan. Onuoha urged newsrooms to develop written AI policies that clearly govern how artificial intelligence can and cannot be used in journalism. He stressed that AI-generated material and AI-assisted journalism must be subject to written rules, not ad hoc decisions. He also called for dedicated election integrity desks to be established before political campaigns gain momentum. These desks, in his vision, would act as specialised units focused on verifying election-related information, tracking disinformation trends, and coordinating with fact-checking organisations. He insisted that media houses should not try to fight disinformation alone. Instead, they should collaborate with credible fact-checking bodies and share resources. The archbishop went further, calling for specialised training for political reporters. Journalists covering politics, he said, need to understand electoral law, data journalism, digital investigations, AI detection, conflict-sensitive reporting, and hate speech monitoring. This is not the same as general reporting training. It is a specialised craft for a dangerous information environment. He also advocated a clear separation between advertising and editorial departments. Sponsored political content, he insisted, must be properly labelled so that readers are not deceived into mistaking paid material for independent journalism. On corrections, Onuoha called for policies that are prompt, visible, and transparent. When a story is wrong, the public should see the correction clearly, not hidden at the bottom of a page. He also urged media organisations to expand reporting in local languages. Democracy, he reminded the audience, cannot work if citizens receive electoral information in languages they do not understand. Beyond that, he recommended journalist safety training, especially for reporters who will cover volatile political situations. He suggested that newsrooms create misinformation hotlines where citizens can report suspicious claims and get them checked. And he called for partnerships with universities and civil society organisations to improve election monitoring. In short, Onuoha was not asking for small adjustments. He was asking for a complete reorientation of how newsrooms prepare for electoral coverage.
Onuoha also urged journalists to shift their focus from personalities to issues. In a political culture where politics is often treated as a celebrity contest, he said election coverage should focus on the things that actually shape people’s lives: jobs, education, healthcare, security, infrastructure, corruption, poverty, climate change, and economic management. This point resonated throughout the event, especially when Dr Sunday Isuwa, the author of the book, took the microphone. Isuwa warned that the pressure to publish quickly in the digital age must never be allowed to override accuracy, ethics, and public trust. He acknowledged that digital technology has transformed news production and distribution in remarkable ways. Stories can now reach millions of people in seconds. Journalists can use multimedia tools to tell stories in ways that were unimaginable in the print-only era. But Isuwa was careful to separate tools from values. “Digital tools can help journalism reach more people and tell stories in new ways. But technology alone cannot guarantee good journalism. That still depends on ethical practice, careful verification, fairness, and commitment to serving the public,” he said. His words were a reminder that no algorithm or software can replace professional judgment. Isuwa also identified the major challenges confronting the newspaper industry: misinformation, changing business models, and declining public trust. These are not separate problems. They feed into each other. Misinformation undermines trust, trust problems hurt business models, and broken business models make it harder to invest in quality journalism. His book, he said, examines how digital platforms have changed the production, distribution, and consumption of news, while also highlighting the responsibilities that come with those changes. The publication was intended to promote media literacy and encourage journalists to embrace technological developments without abandoning professional standards. “We need conversations that help journalists adapt without losing the principles that make their work valuable. We need readers who can engage critically with the news they encounter,” he said. That final sentence captured a key theme of the entire event: the survival of credible journalism depends not only on journalists, but on an audience that understands how to question, verify, and think critically about what it reads, watches, and shares.
The concerns raised by media leaders were echoed by political voices from across the country. Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, expressed deep concern about the growing use of hate speech and personal attacks in political campaigns. He said such practices are unhealthy for democracy and warned that political discourse should centre on issues rather than personalities. His message carried a particularly important reminder: elected offices deserve respect, regardless of disagreements with the people who occupy them. He argued that there is a difference between criticising an officeholder and attacking the dignity of public institutions. Politicians who mock public offices while in opposition, he said, may face the same treatment if they later assume those positions. It was a warning about the long-term damage of toxic politics. Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, also spoke through his state’s Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki. Sani called on journalists to ensure that their reports strengthen democracy as Nigeria approaches another general election. He urged reporters to go beyond simply covering events. “We must report responsibly so that Nigeria will continue to thrive,” he said. “In these elections, we must look beyond just reporting events, look very deeply, verify facts, and ensure what we report is contributing to democracy.” He reminded the audience that political campaigns and election posters will eventually disappear. Candidates will either win or lose. But Nigeria’s continued existence and stability remain paramount. Sani also addressed the changing nature of media work. He noted that technological changes are reshaping newsroom operations and putting some media jobs at risk. Traditional newspaper production once required separate stages for content gathering, editing, plate production, and printing. Now, much of that work happens on a single digital platform. With newsrooms shrinking, he said, journalists need to develop multimedia skills to remain relevant. He also acknowledged that artificial intelligence is threatening jobs in journalism, writing, music, and other creative industries. His message was not hopeless. It was a realistic assessment: adaptation is no longer optional. Journalists and media organisations must learn new skills, embrace new tools, and find new ways to remain valuable in a rapidly changing landscape.
The theme of trust ran through the event like a thread. Reverend John Joseph Hayab, the Country Director of the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria and Chairman of the Northern Christian Association, put it plainly: public trust is essential to the survival of media organisations. “No matter how much any media organisation makes, when it loses the currency of trust, it’s just a matter of time before it will shut down,” he said. Hayab urged journalists and publishers to make credibility central to their professional and business decisions. But he also expanded the conversation beyond the media. He called on citizens to take greater responsibility for democracy rather than leaving the political process entirely to politicians and political parties. Referring to the election in Osun State, he said citizens’ close monitoring of the voting process offered lessons for democratic participation. “This republic cannot be allowed to be a republic of politicians. It must be a republic for citizens, and citizens must take ownership of their democracy,” he said. Hayab added that political parties and their candidates should demonstrate greater commitment to Nigeria beyond their pursuit of electoral victories. His words connected the media’s responsibility to the public’s responsibility. A democracy cannot survive if citizens treat elections as spectator sports. Kudla Milinda Haske, founder of Aerokeys Nigeria Limited, took this message to the voting booth. He called for greater public awareness to address low voter turnout and encourage citizens to participate in elections. Haske argued that the level of participation in previous elections raises troubling questions about how much popular support elected leaders can claim. “If democracy is truly government of the people, by the people, and for the people, a country of 230 million should at least have about 50 million people participating in the election. But we had less than 20 million,” he said. His words were a stark reminder that apathy is a threat to democracy’s legitimacy. He maintained that election campaigns should do more to explain the importance of voting and convince citizens that their participation can influence leadership choices. Haske also urged stakeholders to deploy credible and respected voices to encourage voter participation and promote peaceful elections. He called on Nigerians to take the 2027 general election seriously and ensure they are prepared to exercise their voting rights.
By the time the event drew to a close, the message was unmistakable. Nigerian journalism is at a crossroads, and the 2027 elections will test everything the industry has built. The book launched that day, Digital Shift in Nigeria’s Newspaper Industry, is not just a record of technological change; it is a conversation starter about the soul of journalism. The speakers did not all say the same thing, but their words pointed in the same direction. Technology must not outpace ethics. Speed must not silence truth. AI must be used as a tool, not trusted as an author. Journalists must be trained, protected, and equipped to investigate, not just to publish. Fact-checking must be collaborative, not isolated. Sponsored content must be labelled. Corrections must be visible. Local languages must be used. Politics must be covered through the lens of issues—jobs, education, health, security, and the rest—not just the drama of personalities. At the same time, citizens cannot remain passive. They must demand better from the media, question what they see, verify before sharing, and show up to vote. Political leaders, for their part, must respect institutions and resist the urge to turn campaigns into platforms for hate and personal attacks. The event was a rare moment of convergence. A cleric, journalists, governors, and civil society leaders all speaking as if they understood what is at stake. No one pretended that fixing Nigeria’s information ecosystem would be easy. But they all seemed to agree on one fundamental point: it is possible, and it is urgent. The next election is not far away. The media outlets that decide to act now—before campaigns begin, before disinformation explodes, before public trust erodes even further—will be the ones that help Nigeria navigate its digital future. Those that delay will not just lose relevance. They may contribute to the very chaos they are supposed to cover. The book launch ended, as such events often do, with applause and handshakes. But underneath the politeness was a challenge to everyone in the room. The future of Nigerian democracy may well depend on how the country’s media, politicians, and citizens answer that challenge between now and 2027.