Misinformation, Hate Speech Threatens Democratic Stability – CDD

Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West-Africa) has cautioned that misinformation, disinformation and hate speech pose serious threats to governance, public trust and democratic stability.

The Director CDD-West Africa, Dr Dauda Garuba, stated this during a Project Impact Dissemination on Sustaining Information Literacy and Social Cohesion (StILASC) in Nigeria, yesterday in Abuja.

Speaking at the End-of-Project Phase, StILASC, Garuba noted that the growing spread of false information was no longer a peripheral issue but a core challenge undermining national stability.

He also called for sustained efforts to strengthen information literacy and community-driven approach to promote social cohesion in Nigeria and across West Africa.

He noted that the integrity of information ecosystems had become central to achieving democratic governance, human security and inclusive development in the region.

Garuba said over the course of the StILAC project, CDD collaborated with a broad range of stakeholders, including community dialogue committees and civil society groups.

He said added that the programme also collaborated with security agencies, journalists, women and youth organisations as well as persons with disabilities to tackle the problem at the grassroots level.

“These structures have shown that when communities are equipped with the right tools, such as information literacy and verification skills, they become powerful actors in countering harmful narratives and safeguarding peace,” he said.

The CDD boss further noted that societies where citizens could critically assess information and resist manipulation were better positioned to strengthen accountability and sustain democratic processes.

He expressed appreciation to its partner, the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Project, for supporting the initiative.

Garuba reaffirmed his organisation’s commitment to advancing sustainable democracy and development, stressing that protecting the integrity of information space must remain a shared responsibility across all levels of the society.

Also speaking, the Team Leader of SPRiNG), Dr Ukoha Ukiwo, said the programme, which had been running since May 2024, was initiated to reduce violence in Nigeria.

Ukiwo said that the UK-backed programme was aimed at curbing violence and strengthening community resilience in Nigeria.

The programme, he said, also aimed to tackle hate speech and misinformation, both of which were identified as key drivers of conflict in parts of the country.

Ukiwo said that findings from early engagements with stakeholders in the North-West and North-Central zones revealed that divisive narratives, misinformation and hate speech were major triggers of violence.

He said that this had informed the decision to invest in initiatives that would address harmful contents, particularly within the rapidly expanding social media space.

“It is against this fact that the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development  Office (FCDO) felt we needed to leverage the experience and social capital of the Centre for Democracy and Development to implement this intervention,” he said.

Ukiwo emphasised the importance of stakeholder engagement, calling on community actors, media practitioners and government representatives to actively interrogate findings, ask critical questions and rely on evidence-based approaches to counter violence.

On his part, Pirmah Rimdans, Conflict Adviser and Programme Responsible Owner SPRiNG, said strengthening information literacy and social cohesion project was conceived to address challenges facing conflict-affected communities.

“The harmful narratives of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech do not exist in isolation; they interact with historic grievances, economic pressures, identity politics and insecurity, and often act as triggers that escalate tensions into violence.

“The project is set out to explore how strengthening information literacy and creating spaces for inclusive dialogue could help communities become more resilient to harmful narratives.

“Its focus reflects an understanding that credible information, trust and dialogue are not abstract concepts but practical tools for peace building, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

“Sustainable peace cannot be achieved if significant segments of the society are excluded, and this initiative was structured with that reality in mind,” he said.

Rimdans said the SPRiNG programme was committed to focusing on violence prevention through tackling root causes of conflicts, strengthening local capacity and amplifying community-led solutions.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dissemination meeting also provided an opportunity to explore how successful strategies from the project could be institutionalised within governance frameworks and replicated in other contexts across the region.

Participants were urged to move beyond reflection and commit to embedding community-led approaches into policy and practice, while strengthening the link between grassroots resilience and national stability.

In attendance were royal fathers, community leaders, youth leaders and top government officials from the implementing states of Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Benue. NAN