Imagine waking up each morning knowing that somewhere, far from your newsroom, someone is carefully crafting a lie designed to deceive your readers, manipulate your sources, and undermine the very foundations of your democracy. They might produce a doctored video of a politician, invent a quote from a religious leader, or launch a network of fake accounts to spread a hashtag that inflames ethnic tension. By the time you encounter it, the lie has already travelled across WhatsApp, TikTok, and Twitter, leaving confusion and division in its wake. This is not a distant possibility or a theoretical concern; it is the daily reality of modern disinformation, and Nigeria is one of its primary battlegrounds. That is why the Obaji Development Foundation (ODF) is now inviting applications from qualified Nigerian journalists for its five-day Nigerian Counter-Disinformation Capacity-building Workshop. The workshop, which will be fully residential and hosted in Abuja, is designed to bring together a carefully selected cohort of 20 practicing journalists for an immersive, hands-on training experience. It is not just another conference or a series of lectures. It is an opportunity to gain the skills, tools, and strategies needed to identify, analyse, and counter disinformation—especially the sophisticated phenomenon known as Foreign Influence and Manipulation of Information (FIMI), which continues to threaten media integrity and democratic processes across Africa. For any journalist who has ever felt overwhelmed by the speed and scale of falsehoods online, this is an invitation to fight back, not alone, but as part of a growing community of truth-tellers.
The stakes could not be higher. Nigeria, as a regional media hub and Africa’s most populous nation, is a prime target for foreign influence operations that seek to exploit local vulnerabilities for their own ends. These operations are not always crude or obvious. They often use real events, genuine grievances, and authentic cultural references to make their lies feel believable. They exploit existing divisions—religious, ethnic, political, regional—and amplify them until reasoned conversation becomes nearly impossible. During election cycles, the danger becomes even more acute. False narratives about candidates, rigged voting machines, or violent incidents can spread within minutes, shaping public perception before fact-checkers have even had a chance to verify the source. The result is a public sphere where trust is eroded, where journalists are attacked for doing their jobs, and where citizens no longer know whom to believe. For working journalists in Nigeria, this is not an abstract problem. It affects every beat, from politics to health to security. It makes the work of reporting more difficult, more dangerous, and more essential than ever before. When falsehood spreads faster than truth, the role of a journalist as a guardian of verified information becomes a matter of national survival. This is why the workshop’s focus on FIMI is so important: it moves beyond generic media literacy and equips journalists with a deep understanding of how hostile actors operate, how they target African media ecosystems, and how their influence can be detected and dismantled before it takes root.
So what does the workshop actually look like in practice? For five days, selected participants will leave their daily routines behind and immerse themselves in an intensive, fully residential experience in Abuja. The foundation has deliberately limited the cohort to just 20 journalists, which means that every participant will receive meaningful attention and contribute actively to the learning process. This is not a passive training where you sit in a dark room and listen to a series of presentations. Instead, the workshop is designed to be collaborative, practical, and challenging. Participants will work through real-world case studies, examine actual disinformation campaigns that have targeted Nigerian and African audiences, and test the latest digital tools used to detect manipulated content, coordinated inauthentic behavior, and hidden propaganda networks. There will be group exercises, peer feedback sessions, and opportunities to build lasting relationships with journalists from different media houses and fact-checking organizations. The residential nature of the workshop is a key part of its value: by living and learning together, participants can share experiences, compare challenges, and develop a common language for fighting disinformation. By the end of the five days, you will not only have new skills; you will have a new professional network—a small but powerful community of Nigerian journalists who understand the threat and are prepared to respond to it collectively. This sense of solidarity matters, because countering disinformation is never something one person can do alone. It requires collaboration, trust, and shared standards of practice.
At its heart, the workshop is about empowering journalists with practical, cutting-edge tools to detect disinformation campaigns before they cause real harm. Participants will learn how to verify suspicious images and videos, trace the origin of viral content, identify bots and coordinated behavior, and analyse the tactics used by threat actors to shape public opinion. There will also be a strong focus on understanding the strategies of disinformation in the African context, with particular emphasis on Nigerian elections, where manipulation can have devastating consequences for democracy. But the training goes beyond detection. It is equally concerned with response. Journalists need to know how to report on disinformation without amplifying it, how to debunk falsehoods in ways that respect the dignity of those who were deceived, and how to produce fact-based stories that rebuild public trust. The workshop will therefore promote collaborative fact-checking and investigative journalism networks, encouraging participants to work together across newsrooms and organizations. It will also strengthen media literacy, not only for journalists themselves but also for the audiences they serve. A journalist who understands how to explain disinformation to the public can do more than expose a lie; they can teach people how to protect themselves from future manipulation. This is the deeper mission of the workshop: to strengthen the integrity of Nigerian journalism, to restore confidence in independent media, and to ensure that facts remain the foundation of public debate. Every session, every tool, and every discussion is designed with that larger purpose in mind.
But this opportunity is not for everyone, and the foundation is looking for a specific kind of journalist. To be considered, applicants must have a minimum of two years of experience practicing journalism in Nigeria, whether in print, electronic, or online media. This is not an entry-level internship or a course for students; it is a capacity-building program for working professionals who are already in the field and who understand the pressures and responsibilities of reporting in the Nigerian context. Applicants must also be employed by a reputable media or fact-checking organization, and they must secure the endorsement of their organization’s editor or chief executive. This requirement is not just bureaucratic red tape; it is a way of ensuring that participants are supported by their newsrooms and will be able to apply what they learn in their daily work. In addition, applicants must be willing to devote time after the training to produce disinformation research and analysis. The workshop is not meant to be a one-off experience. It is designed to create long-term impact, and the foundation expects participants to become active contributors to the fight against disinformation even after they return home. Finally, interested applicants must provide proof of previous fact-checking content published in the last 12 months. This could be a fact-check article, a verification piece, or any published work that demonstrates your ability to question information and seek evidence. Taken together, these requirements paint a clear picture: the ODF is looking for committed, experienced, and credible journalists who are ready to take their role seriously and who will use this training to benefit not just themselves, but the wider media ecosystem in Nigeria.
If this sounds like you, the next step is simple and urgent. The application deadline is September 18, 2026, and interested journalists can apply through the official application portal provided by the Obaji Development Foundation. Do not wait until the last minute. Gather your work samples, reach out to your editor or chief executive for a letter of endorsement, and prepare a clear statement of why you want to participate and how you plan to use your new skills after the training. If you have questions or need more information, you can contact Blessing Otoibhi, a multimedia journalist and anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting, who is serving as a point of contact for this opportunity. Her email is [email protected], and she is also active on Twitter at @B_otoibhi. This is more than a training opportunity. It is a chance to join a vital movement to protect Nigerian democracy, to defend the integrity of the media, and to ensure that the stories people read and share are grounded in truth rather than manipulation. The fight against disinformation is difficult, but it is not hopeless. With the right tools, the right training, and the right community, journalists can make a real difference. If you are ready to take on that challenge, apply before the deadline and take your place among the defenders of truth in Nigeria.