Gov Ododo Backs IMPR, NITDA on AI, Crisis Communication and Fact-Checking Training
More than 50 public communicators including journalists and public relations practitioners in Kogi State have received practical training in artificial intelligence, fact-checking and crisis communication as part of efforts to strengthen professional capacity and tackle the growing threat of misinformation in the digital information environment.
The two-day capacity-building workshop, held in Lokoja, was organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, with support from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and collaboration with the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Ismaila Isah, backed the initiative and urged journalists and communication professionals to embrace artificial intelligence responsibly while strengthening verification practices.
Ododo said continuous professional development had become imperative as advances in AI make it increasingly easier to generate misinformation, manipulate images, fabricate videos and produce sophisticated deepfakes.
He encouraged participants to deploy the knowledge acquired from the programme to improve their professional work, strengthen accuracy and protect public confidence in credible information.
Speaking at the workshop, IMPR Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Yushau A. Shuaib, commended the Kogi State Government for supporting the capacity-building initiative and expressed appreciation to NITDA and CCC for their roles in advancing digital literacy and crisis communication.
Shuaib, who also presented his award-winning publication, AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria, said the training formed part of IMPR’s broader commitment to responsible technology adoption and strengthening the capacity of media and communication professionals to respond to emerging threats to information integrity.
According to him, artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities for journalists and PR practitioners in research, content development, media monitoring and crisis communication. He cautioned, however, that the same technologies could be exploited to spread false narratives and manipulate audiovisual content.
He therefore urged practitioners to understand both the opportunities and limitations of AI and avoid relying on machine-generated information without independent verification, human oversight and professional judgement.
Read Also:
Shuaib said IMPR had organised similar capacity-building programmes in Kano, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu as part of efforts to broaden practical understanding of artificial intelligence within Nigeria’s communication industry.
He also highlighted IMPR’s recent international recognition, including the Grand Prix of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), and its PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship, which mentors emerging journalists and communication professionals in investigative reporting, fact-checking, strategic communication, digital innovation and professional ethics.
The Lokoja workshop featured hands-on sessions led by communication, technology and digital-verification specialists.
Shuaib facilitated a session on the role of AI in strategic and crisis communication, examining its applications in communication planning, stakeholder engagement, media monitoring, early-warning systems and coordinated information management during emergencies.
He stressed that although technology can enhance crisis response, human oversight, ethical judgement and timely communication remain essential to preventing communication failures and limiting harmful narratives.
AI expert and Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) researcher Ali Isa facilitated a session on applications of artificial intelligence in journalism and public relations, demonstrating how practitioners could incorporate AI into research, information processing and other professional workflows while remaining alert to inaccurate outputs.
IMPR Head of Innovation and Special Projects, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, led the practical session on AI-enabled fact-checking, exposing participants to digital techniques for verifying suspicious claims, images, videos and other online materials.
The exercise focused on detecting potentially manipulated content and deepfakes, authenticating digital information and combining technological tools with traditional verification techniques, including source evaluation, contextual analysis and independent corroboration.
Participants described the programme as timely and practical, saying it had strengthened their understanding of digital verification, AI-assisted communication and the responsible use of emerging technologies.
The workshop also featured presentations of AI in Crisis Communication in Nigeria by Shuaib and Aren’t We All PR People? by Ahmed Balarabe Sa’id.
Organisers said the Lokoja initiative demonstrated the growing importance of collaboration among technology institutions, governments, professional organisations and media practitioners in confronting misinformation and ensuring the ethical deployment of artificial intelligence in journalism and public communication.
