Northern Journalists to Strengthen Indigenous-Language Reporting Ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Elections
By Mustapha Salisu
FIAP, through its implementing partner FactCheckAfrica, has concluded a three-day training programme in Kano State designed to strengthen the capacity of journalists, broadcasters, editors, fact-checkers, and other media practitioners to produce accurate, ethical, and inclusive electoral information in indigenous languages ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
The training, held from 27–29 October 2026 at Comfort Hub Hotels and Suites in Kano State, brought together 25 media practitioners and professionals involved in electoral communication for practical sessions on misinformation and disinformation, electoral terminology, translation accuracy, verification, ethical reporting, and editorial quality control. The activity was implemented under Activity 3.1.6a(3) of the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, Thematic Area 1: Mis/Disinformation, Fact-checking and AI Learning.
The programme responds to the importance of indigenous-language communication in Nigeria’s electoral information environment. As citizens across Northern Nigeria rely on radio broadcasts, social media, WhatsApp voice notes, community networks, and interpersonal communication to access information, inaccuracies introduced through translation, misleading paraphrases, and unverified claims can distort public understanding of electoral procedures and political developments.
The training examined how electoral information travels across formal media channels and informal communication networks in Northern Nigeria, with particular attention to how meaning can change as information is translated, summarised, forwarded, or reproduced in different contexts. Participants explored common forms of electoral misinformation, including fabricated announcements, misleading election dates, false voting instructions, manipulated audio translations, altered results, and misleading political claims.
The programme also examined electoral concepts and terminology relating to voter registration, accreditation, polling units, ballot papers, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result collation, electoral offences, and election petitions. These sessions highlighted the importance of preserving the meaning, context, and procedural accuracy of electoral information when communicating it across languages.
Another focus was the ethical responsibility of media practitioners reporting on vulnerable and underserved communities, including women in political life, persons with disabilities (PWDs), internally displaced persons (IDPs), ethnic and religious minorities, and rural voters. Participants considered how inaccurate or insensitive reporting can misrepresent communities, reinforce harmful stereotypes, or contribute to tension during elections. Discussions emphasised evidence-based reporting, appropriate attribution, contextual accuracy, and careful consideration of potential harm.
A key outcome of the workshop was the development and validation of electoral language resources for Hausa and other Northern Nigerian indigenous languages. Participants reviewed and validated the draft Hausa electoral glossary while establishing practical working glossaries for adjacent Northern languages present in the room. The inclusion of Hausa and Northern indigenous languages reflected the importance of making the resources relevant to the linguistic and cultural context of Northern Nigeria, where the training was hosted.
Participants also validated and developed language-specific style sheets for Hausa and Northern indigenous languages to support consistency in electoral terminology, spelling, register, tone, formal versus colloquial usage, political titles, and code-switching. Together, the glossaries and style sheets are intended to provide practical references for journalists, broadcasters, editors, fact-checkers, and translators working to communicate electoral information accurately and consistently across local languages.
The resource-development process highlighted that translating electoral information involves more than substituting words from one language for another. Practitioners must preserve the meaning of official statements, account for linguistic and cultural context, use terminology consistently, and ensure that translated content does not introduce ambiguity or change the substance of the original information.
The training combined expert-led presentations with facilitated discussions, practical exercises, collaborative resource development, and peer review. Participants also explored verification and quality-control practices for indigenous-language electoral content, including tracing original sources, checking official information, corroborating claims, and reviewing translations against a 7-point editorial checklist before publication or broadcast.
The sessions further emphasised the risks of circulating claims simply because they are widely shared or delivered in an authoritative-sounding voice. Participants were encouraged to establish stronger editorial checks for electoral announcements, political claims, voice notes, and result-related information, particularly where inaccurate reporting could mislead voters or undermine public confidence.
Speaking on the significance of the intervention, Abideen Olasupo, Founder of FactCheckAfrica, said:
“Electoral information is only useful when people can understand it accurately in the language they trust and use. In a multilingual country like Nigeria, translating electoral information is not simply about changing words from one language to another; it is about preserving meaning, context, and accuracy so that citizens can make informed decisions. By validating our Hausa electoral glossary draft and establishing language style sheets tailored to Northern newsrooms, we are taking a practical step towards ensuring that indigenous-language communities are not left behind in access to reliable electoral information. These resources will help journalists and broadcasters communicate electoral concepts more consistently, verify claims more effectively, and contribute to a more informed electorate ahead of the 2027 elections.”
The workshop also encouraged participants to identify practical ways of integrating the resources into their professional and organisational workflows. The language glossaries and style sheets are intended to support more consistent editorial decisions, improve translation review, and strengthen the accuracy of electoral reporting beyond the training itself.
The activity concluded with a post-training assessment, participant feedback, and Take Action Forms to document learning and participants’ commitments to applying the knowledge gained. Follow-up monitoring will help assess how the resources are used in professional practice and whether participating organisations incorporate the recommended approaches into their editorial processes.
The Kano workshop represents the Northern component of the two-cohort activity under Activity 3.1.6a(3), titled Training in Indigenous Languages for Inclusive Electoral Coverage, following the successful completion of the Southern cohort in Akwa Ibom State (13–15 October 2026). Across both cohorts, the activity has engaged 50 media practitioners working across major Nigerian indigenous languages (including Yoruba, Igbo, Ibibio, Hausa, and adjacent languages). The two-cohort intervention seeks to strengthen the capacity of media practitioners to verify, translate, and communicate electoral information responsibly across selected Nigerian indigenous languages, contributing to a more accessible and inclusive information environment ahead of the 2027 election cycle.
This activity is organised by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica, under the framework of the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project.
The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) is the Spanish Cooperation institution specialised in promoting the participation of public administrations in international cooperation programmes. Operating in more than 120 countries, FIAP mobilises public sector expertise to strengthen public institutions, democratic governance, and sustainable development through peer-to-peer cooperation. Within the EPSG Project, FIAP contributes to efforts to strengthen democratic governance, peace and security through initiatives addressing electoral integrity, information disorder, civic participation and the prevention of electoral violence.
The EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project is a multi-donor initiative designed to strengthen peace, democratic governance and regional stability within ECOWAS Member States. The project is supported by the European Union (EU), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (MOFA), and is jointly implemented by GIZ, Expertise France, and FIAP.