Kaduna Seeks Partnership To Combat Online Misinformation, Hate Speech

The Kaduna State Government has expressed readiness to collaborate with civil society organisations and development partners to curb the spread of misinformation and hate speech across the state.

The government said the two issues remain major drivers of conflict and social tension in Kaduna State.

The commissioner for information, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this on Saturday during an Executive Peace Roundtable held in Kaduna under the Delimi PROSPER Project.

The project is being implemented by Search for Resilience and Development with support from the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRING) Programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Maiyaki welcomed initiatives that engage young people in peace-building activities but stressed the importance of stronger collaboration with key government institutions, particularly the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.

He said such partnerships would help ensure that interventions achieve their intended goals without inadvertently creating new tensions.

The commissioner also emphasised that media outputs produced by young participants—including documentaries, podcasts, and digital storytelling—must be carefully guided to avoid narratives that could trigger conflict or deepen existing divisions.

According to him, communication strategies must reflect the unique social dynamics of the state.

Maiyaki warned that the careless use of language and the circulation of unverified information, especially on social media platforms, could easily escalate tensions and, in extreme cases, lead to violence.

He recalled past incidents in which hate speech and propaganda shared through media channels contributed to deadly conflicts.

The commissioner also cited an instance where a social media post advising travellers to avoid Kaduna over an alleged crisis later turned out to be false, yet it spread rapidly and created unnecessary panic.

Maiyaki further observed that many people, including some media practitioners, often fail to clearly distinguish between misinformation, disinformation and malinformation, despite their different implications.

He called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, the media and civil society organisations to address the growing challenge.

According to him, efforts to combat fake news and hate speech must involve people across all age groups.

Maiyaki reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to partnering with organisations such as the SPRING Programme to promote responsible communication, counter harmful narratives and strengthen sustainable peace in Kaduna.