NIPR Acting President Urges Media to Defend Democracy Against Misinformation
The Acting President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Professor Emmanuel Samu Dandaura, fnipr, has issued a clarion call to Nigerian media professionals to take the frontline in protecting democracy and rebuilding public trust ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Delivering a goodwill message at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Special Forum for Media Executives, Producers, Reporters, and On-Air Personalities, held at Novare Mall, Zone 5, Wuse, Abuja on Tuesday, Professor Dandaura warned that “the battle for Nigeria’s democracy is now fought in the information space, not at polling units but in the contest between truth and falsehood.”
The event, themed “Elections in the Age of Misinformation – The Media’s Responsibility to Safeguard Democracy,” drew senior electoral and media stakeholders including INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mallam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Aminu Idris, Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, and NUJ FCT Chair, Ms. Grace Ike.
“We are not just preparing for another election; we are preparing for a credibility test of the Nigerian state,” Professor Dandaura declared.
“In the age of misinformation, truth has become endangered and with it, the health of democracy itself. Elections no longer fail because of poor logistics alone; they fail when public perception is lost before the first ballot is cast”, he stated.
Highlighting the NIPR’s Nigerian Reputation Perception Index (NRPI 2025), he described it as a groundbreaking national diagnostic tool that tracks public confidence in key institutions, including the electoral system.
Professor Dandaura noted that findings from the Index shaped the NIPR Strategic Electoral Communication Framework, now attracting INEC’s attention, which provides actionable strategies to rebuild trust through transparency, leadership credibility, and community-based messaging.
“The data is clear,” he said. “Technical excellence means little when perception collapses. Credibility must be communicated, not just claimed.”
He urged journalists and broadcasters to see themselves as “frontline defenders of truth,” adding that “each headline can either inflame suspicion or inspire participation.”
He called for a joint INEC–Media collaboration to combat disinformation:
“Let the media become the oxygen of democracy, not its accelerant of doubt. Let us build a joint firewall against fake news, because misinformation is the new vote suppressor.”
He emphasised, “The credibility of an election does not begin on election day; it begins with the integrity of every word we broadcast about it.”
The event was part of INEC’s commitment to engage communication professionals in advancing electoral transparency, and NIPR’s expanding role as the nation’s moral compass in ethical communication and reputation management.
