Tech
Build Apps That Detect Fake News, Don Urges AI Developers
A lecturer at Baze University, Abuja, Dr Tope Ojeme, has urged Artificial Intelligence developers to create digital applications capable of detecting fake news and combating unethical media practices in Nigeria.
Okeke made the remark in a statement issued on Wednesday in Port Harcourt by Joseph Obari, Registrar of the West Africa Broadcast Media Academy.
The statement said that Ojeme spoke at the closing ceremony of the Second Quarter Courses of the WABMA in Abuja while presenting a paper.
Ojeme, speaking on the theme,”Beyond debunking: Building a Culture of Media Integrity in Africa’s Next Century,” emphasised the urgent need to confront the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation in Africa.
According to him, the development of AI-driven digital tools would empower citizens to challenge fake news propagators and hold leaders accountable.
“We must empower African developers, engineers, and creators to build AI-powered fact-checking plugins for newsrooms, and blockchain-based archives to safeguard journalistic content from tampering.
“These tools will also help secure open-data platforms, enabling citizens to demand accountability from their leaders,” Ojeme said.
He warned that unless decisive action was taken to stem the growing trend of disinformation, the continent risks being overwhelmed by dangerous myths and falsehoods that could eclipse truth and scientific facts.
According to him, we could soon find ourselves in a world where fake cures go viral; conspiracy theories infiltrate classrooms, and elections are manipulated by digital bots.
He added that it would gradually erode public trust, which had been the very foundation of any democratic society.
Ojeme, who is also a media practitioner, argued that although technology had fuelled the proliferation of fake news, it equally held the potential to reinforce truth through well-structured algorithms.
He explained that such algorithms could be designed to prioritise the identification of verified information, detect fabrications, and expose distortions of facts.
He further warned that the rapid spread of fake news and the use of deepfake technology to manipulate video content posed serious risks to societies already grappling with numerous developmental challenges.
“This looming threat highlights the urgency of building systems of truth – ecosystems of integrity, legal frameworks to protect truth-telling journalists, and the establishment of ‘truth desks’ in media organisations.
“There is a pressing need to confront this challenge head-on.
“We are living in an age of noise, where the loudest microphone command attention, speed supersedes sense, and volume overwhelms value,” Ojeme concluded.
Earlier, the Rector of WABMA, Dr Ken Okere, said that the academy’s mission was beyond training media professionals as it instilled in them an understanding of the power and responsibility of media communication.
He presented certificates to participants who successfully completed the media and communication courses and awarded cash prizes to the top three entries in the DebunkIt Challenge.
Okere, however, explained that the DebunkIt Challenge was organised to mark the 100th edition of the WABMA Fake News Debunker, which began in April 2022.
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Former Senator representing the Funtua Senatorial District of Katsina State, Bello Mandiya, is dead.
His death was announced by a close associate, Malam Maiwada DanMalam, in a Facebook post.
According to DanMalam, the funeral prayer for the former senator will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at the Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja.
“Funeral prayers will be held on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja,” he said.
A former chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Dan Osi Obirh, is dead.
DAILY POST gathered that Orbih, who was also a former PDP National Vice Chairman, South-South, died on Monday, August 31, 2026.
Lere Olayinka, the Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, in a post on his Facebook page, said the news of the politician’s death was made public by Francis Udukhomoi Orbih, a member of the family.
The post titled, ‘In Loving Memory’, read, “With profound sadness and a heavy heart but in total submission to the will of the almighty God, the family of Chief M.C.K. Orbih announce the passing of our beloved brother, husband, father and uncle, Chief Daniel Osi Orbih, who passed away on Monday, 31 August 2026.
“He is survived by his wife, Mrs Florence Orbih; his children, Ms. Winifred Anwosiobor Orbih and Dr. Mildred Omonemi Orbih; his brothers and sisters; as well as other members of the extended family.
“At this difficult time, we ask family members, friends and well-wishers to remember the entire family in their prayers as we mourn this painful loss.
“Further details will be announced in due course. May his soul rest in perfect peace.”
Orbih, before his death, was the Chairman, Governing Council of the Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma.
He was a close ally of FCT minister, Wike.
The late PDP chieftain was born on October 27, 1961, at Ogbona, in Etsako Central Local Government Area, Edo State.
The Eleta Oluyara of Iyara Land in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oba Jacob Babatunde Meduteni, is dead.
Naija News reports that the traditional ruler, who was 75 years old, reportedly passed away in his palace in Iyara after a prolonged illness whose nature was not disclosed.
His death has plunged the community into mourning, barely three years after he assumed the traditional stool.
Meduteni became the traditional ruler of Iyara after the Kogi State Government appointed him on July 24, 2023.
He was initially installed as a third-class chief before the state government elevated the traditional institution to second-class status.
The Kogi State Executive Council approved the upgrade on September 26, 2023.
The monarch was formally crowned and presented with his staff of office on December 23, 2023, at a ceremony that attracted traditional rulers, politicians and other notable guests.
Before becoming a monarch, Meduteni built an extensive career in engineering and corporate administration. He was educated at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, and the University of Calabar.
His professional journey included appointments as Manager, Marketing, and Head of Customer Service in Kaduna.
He subsequently rose to the top of the management ladder in Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector, serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company before becoming CEO of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company.
He left active corporate employment in 2008. After his retirement, Meduteni devoted more time to entrepreneurship and community development.
He ran his private ventures, Newday Engineering Company and Nowday Farms, while remaining involved in activities aimed at advancing Iyara’s interests.
His contribution to community affairs was further demonstrated by his leadership of the Iyara Development Movement, where he served as national president for two terms.
He spent a total of six years in the position before being selected to occupy the Eleta Oluyara stool.
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