The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment has organised a capacity-building workshop for social media influencers from the 19 Northern states and FCT to strengthen digital communication skills and promote responsible engagement on the policies and programmes of the President Tinubu administration in line with the renewed hope agenda.
The workshop, held in Kano, brought together more than 100 participants under the Tinubu Arewa Media Group.
The programme focused on ethical social media use, fact-checking, effective information dissemination and strategies for tackling misinformation and disinformation in the digital space.
Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said the initiative was designed to equip young social media users and influencers who support APC with the knowledge and skills needed to communicate government policies accurately.
He explained that,the training was intended to deepen participants’ understanding of the achievements of the Tinubu administration while encouraging them to focus on issues that promote national development rather than narratives capable of creating division or misrepresenting government activities.
Abdulaziz noted that the growing use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to create misleading content has made it necessary to train social media influencers on how to identify, verify and counter false information before sharing it with the public.
According to him, participants were also exposed to practical techniques for responsible online engagement, fact-based communication and effective use of digital platforms to reach wider audiences with credible information.
The presidential aide stressed that social media influencers must remain adequately informed about government policies and programmes, saying effective advocacy requires a sound understanding of the issues being communicated.
He added that the participants,were selected because of their ability to communicate in Hausa and other indigenous languages, thereby extending accurate information to grassroots communities across the region.
He urged Nigerians to distinguish between constructive criticism of government and actions capable of undermining national unity, emphasizing that democratic participation should be guided by patriotism, responsibility and respect for the country’s collective interest.
Delivering a presentation at the workshop, a development scholar Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi called on social media influencers to help reshape global perceptions of Nigeria by highlighting the country’s positive developments alongside existing challenges.
He observed that online discussions often focus disproportionately on insecurity, poverty and illiteracy while overlooking progress in sectors such as education, technology and human capital development.
Some participants with newsmen described the workshop as timely and impactful, saying it had enhanced their knowledge of ethical social media practice, fact-checking and digital communication.
They expressed confidence that the training would improve their capacity to engage audiences professionally and raise their social media skills to international standards.