On a bright Saturday morning in Abuja, the usual liveliness at the Zoological Garden in Area 1 took on a different kind of energy. The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had come together to turn a simple roadshow into an urgent public conversation. The message was clear: information, especially in the age of social media, is not a toy. Mispresent it, and it can provoke fear, trigger violence, and undermine the peace the country desperately needs. The roadshow was designed to sensitize Nigerians ahead of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum, scheduled for Abuja in November 2026, but its timing could not have been more apt. With every passing day, unverified videos, old photographs, and fabricated stories circulate on WhatsApp and other platforms, often wearing the disguise of breaking news. The campaign, this morning, was aimed at reminding ordinary citizens that responsible communication is not only the job of journalists and public relations professionals. It is a civic duty. Every forwarded message, every shared post, every comment is a small piece of the public conversation, and each piece can either calm a tense situation or set it ablaze. The partnership between NIPR and NSCDC was itself significant: one body guarded the nation’s image, and the other protected its physical security. Their joint appearance sent a powerful signal that words can be shields or weapons. If a single post can cause a mob to attack a stranger or trigger panic in a market, then communication deserves to be treated with the same seriousness as policing. The roadshow was therefore not a ceremonial event but a practical lesson in citizenship. It was an invitation for people to pause before posting, to count to ten, to ask whether the “breaking news” in their hands has been verified, and to recognize that a careless share can have far-reaching consequences.
Dr. Olusola Odumosu, the NSCDC Commandant for the FCT, drove home that point with a vivid example. People open their phones, he said, and pull out a video or a photograph that is twenty years old—maybe a riot or an accident that happened in another era—and tag it as if it is happening today in Kano State. “Such irresponsible communication heats up the polity,” he warned. The commandant’s voice carried the weariness of a security officer who has seen how quickly misinformation can become a security crisis. A video of an old intercommunal clash, circulated out of context, can make communities distrust one another and prepare for conflict that does not exist. It can spur vigilantism, inspire revenge attacks, or create the impression that a government is failing when no such event occurred. Odumosu said that many people share information without first establishing its authenticity, acting on impulse rather than evidence. That impulse is human—everyone wants to be the first to inform others—but in a country with existing tensions, the price of that rush is too high. The commandant was not asking people to become expert fact-checkers, only to pause for a moment and ask whether the material they are about to share is true, current, and necessary. He did not mince words about the dangers: irresponsible communication can encourage banditry, fuel kidnapping, and make people turn on each other. He appealed especially to young social media users, who are often the most active in moving content across platforms, urging them to exercise greater caution and to understand that they are not passive consumers but actors in the public sphere. His language was simple and personal: “People should get to know that it is not too good to send out information that can heat the polity, send out information that can make people start attacking themselves, send out information that can encourage banditry or kidnapping and all of that.” The commandant clearly sees responsible communication as a form of collective self-defense. He also noted that the theme of the World Public Relations Forum, “Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World,” could not be more connected to the security challenges Nigeria faces. For Odumosu, the roadshow was not about polishing the profession; it was about preventing the next avoidable tragedy.
Dr. Suleiman Haruna, Chairman of the National Planning Committee for WPRF Abuja 2026, took the conversation a step further by placing the problem in a global perspective. Social media and artificial intelligence, he observed, have changed the way information is made, distributed, and consumed. In the past, misinformation traveled at the speed of word of mouth; today, it travels at the speed of light, often made more convincing by bots, deepfakes, and algorithm-driven amplification. Haruna was careful to acknowledge that freedom of expression is a constitutional right in Nigeria. People have every right to say what they believe. But, as he put it, “your rights stop where the right of the next person starts.” That phrase, borrowed from legal and philosophical tradition, is a radical reminder that free speech is not absolute. You cannot use your voice to destroy someone else’s safety, reputation, or peace. You cannot shout “fire” in a crowded cinema simply because you want to see what happens. The challenge, Haruna said, is that many people now treat social media as a lawless space where anything can be said without consequence. This is especially dangerous in a society with multiple ethnic and religious communities, where a single viral post can fan the flames of division. The upcoming World Public Relations Forum, he argued, is an opportunity for communication professionals and stakeholders to sit down together and explore how to strengthen information integrity. That means examining not only what people post, but also how platforms are designed, how algorithms amplify outrage, how artificial intelligence can be used to create and detect lies, and what responsibilities citizens, companies, and governments have in maintaining a healthy public sphere. The forum, he hopes, will be a place where hard questions can be asked without defensiveness—where a global profession can admit its own failures and design a better way forward. Haruna’s tone was not preachy. He seemed to understand that no amount of lecture will stop every reckless post. But he insisted that the environment can be changed—that norms can be built, systems can be created, and conversations can be had, starting with the forum in Abuja.
The roadshow was not an isolated event in Abuja. Inimfon Etuk, a member of the National Planning Committee and chair of its Civil Society Task Team, explained that similar sensitisation exercises were being conducted across the country. The aim was to get ordinary Nigerians talking about the forum and, more importantly, about the values it is meant to celebrate. It is one thing to hold a global conference in a capital city, but another thing to make its principles understood in local communities. Perhaps the most exciting promise of the 2026 forum is the sheer range of people it will draw to Nigeria. Public relations professionals, strategic communication experts, corporate communication executives, scholars, civil society actors, and voices from policy and security circles will come together from many countries. They will not just talk theory. They will exchange practical ideas about how communication can serve truth, reconciliation, and development rather than division and chaos. The presence of the African Public Relations Association, which will hold its 37th annual conference alongside the World Public Relations Forum, adds a continental layer to the gathering. For a country like Nigeria, whose global image has often been shaped by headlines about fraud, terrorism, and poverty, hosting such an event is a chance to show a different side. It is a chance for Nigerians to be seen not just as consumers of international narratives but as hosts and protagonists, setting the agenda for a global discussion. Etuk’s task team is clearly working to ensure that this message reaches the grassroots, from market squares to students’ common rooms. Because while the forum is about professionals, its theme is about everyone. The roadshow was therefore not a mere promotional activity. It was a form of public education that transformed abstract terms like “information integrity” into the daily question of what each person does when they pick up their phone to share something.
Stanley Ogadigo, chairman of the NIPR FCT chapter, gave the roadshow its most nationalistic dimension. He spoke with pride of Nigeria securing the hosting rights for the World Public Relations Forum after a competitive process and stressed that this would be the first time the event is held in the country. For Ogadigo, this is not an event for the few; it should be regarded as a national project. Every Nigerian, every corporate organisation, and every government institution has a stake in its success. He sees it as a moment to correct old stereotypes and prove that Nigeria is more than the sum of its difficult headlines. He framed the forum as more than an honour—it is an opportunity to project Nigeria’s image and tell its story to the international community on our own terms. He talked about the hospitality of the country, the vibrant culture, the creativity of its people, and the capacity of its cities to host major international events. The forum will include engagements with academics, an Africa Day focused on the continent’s culture, and a series of activities designed to expose international delegates to Nigerian fashion, cuisine, and warmth. Ogadigo’s language was deliberately inclusive: this is not just a gathering in Abuja; it is a stage for the whole nation. And he left no doubt about the intellectual stakes. Participants at the forum are expected to deliberate on what he called the Abuja Declaration, a new framework for the public relations profession at a global level. That declaration, if it is to mean anything, will have to address the very issues that brought NIPR and NSCDC together on that Saturday morning—the need for honesty, verification, restraint, and social responsibility in an age where everyone has a voice but not everyone remembers that a voice can hurt. Ogadigo’s words were a challenge to every sector of Nigerian society to show up, not just as spectators, but as hosts and participants who take the issue of responsible communication seriously.
As the roadshow ended and the crowd dispersed, the message lingered. What began as a procession from the Zoological Garden in Area 1 was, in truth, a warning disguised as outreach. The warnings from NIPR and NSCDC were not abstract theories about communication studies; they were grounded in real incidents and real pain. Misinformation has cost lives in Nigeria. It has set communities against each other. It has caused innocent people to be attacked because someone decided to share something without waiting for the full story. The 2026 World Public Relations Forum, with its theme “Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World,” offers a chance to move from warning to action, from saying “stop sharing dangerous things” to building a shared culture of restraint and accountability. But no single forum can do the work for a nation. The real work sits in the hands of citizens who must choose to verify before sharing, leaders who must model disciplined communication, and platforms that must take responsibility for the content they amplify. The Abuja Declaration, when it emerges, will not be a magic wand. It will be a standard to live by, crafted by people from many countries, grounded in the conviction that communication can build more than it destroys. Meanwhile, the roadshow itself was a small but necessary beginning. It reminded Nigerians that public relations is not spin or propaganda; it is the honest, respectful management of relationships—between peoples, between institutions, and between citizens. It also reminded them that security begins with the mind and the tongue. As the world prepares to gather in Abuja in 2026, Nigeria has an opportunity to lead not only by hosting a forum but by becoming a living example of how responsible communication can strengthen peace and community. The invitation, as the officials made clear, is open to everyone. And the answer, like the news, begins with each individual. The message is simple: before you share, think. It may be the most patriotic thing you do all day.