Presidency to deploy over 100 Northern influencers to amplify Tinubu’s achievements

By Bashir Bello

The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration initiated moves to counter disinformation and misinformation about its achievements and initiatives in Northern Nigeria on Sunday with a training programme for over 100 social media influencers in Kano.

The social media influencers from across Northern Nigeria will be trained on the effective use of social media, Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Enlightenment whose office is organizing the training said.

He added that the workshop was organized to equip influencers with the skills to counter disinformation and misinformation.

Abdulaziz said this while speaking during the training on Sunday.

He added that the training would also keep participants abreast of the achievements of the present administration so they could help enlighten Nigerians.

“The workshop will equip them with skills on how to counter disinformation and misinformation.

“We see a lot of social media videos, AI-generated pictures, and clips designed to create disaffection or misinform the public.

“These skills will help them to use social media more effectively for information dissemination,” he added.

Abdulaziz said the workshop would also educate influencers on the giant strides of the Tinubu administration and on issues that promote national unity.

“These are the areas of focus. That is why we felt it’s important to encourage them and urge them to continue doing what they believe in, because that is democracy.

“Everybody has the right to express his/her opinion on issues and to participate in political or non-political organisations.

“But we see a lot of recklessness in the use of social media. People need to know what the government is doing,” he added.

Earlier in his presentation, Development Scholar, Dr Musa Abdullahi-Sufi said the training was aimed at changing the negative narrative about Nigeria.

He urged social media influencers to focus on development stories and achievements recorded in the country rather than negative content.

Abdullahi-Sufi said the training also covered ethical use of social media, fact-checking, and responsible digital engagement.

(NAN)