By Muhammed Danjuma Ogwu, Lafia
Media practitioners and representatives of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nasarawa State have been charged to take a stand against fake news and actively amplify stories involving digital rights and data privacy violations.
This is aimed at protecting citizens across the state’s 13 Local Government Areas.
The call was made in Lafia, the state capital, during a one-day Digital Rights Roundtable Engagement for Media Practitioners and CSOs organized by Accountability Lab Nigeria.
During the engagement, Blessing Anolaba, Storytelling Development Officer of Accountability Lab Nigeria, urged participants to boldly speak out against social injustices, harassment, intimidation, and extortion by both public and private actors.
“We are here to train journalists and CSOs on the importance of safeguarding digital rights and data privacy,” Anolaba said.
“Many citizens have had their rights breached and lack platforms or voices to help them seek justice. This roundtable is a step towards empowering the media and civil society to amplify these stories regularly.”
She warned that the continued violation of digital rights could have long-term consequences for national development.
Also speaking at the event, Alfred Agu, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Associate at Accountability Lab Nigeria, stressed the importance of consistently educating citizens about their digital rights to prevent oppression.
He explained that the roundtable was designed to build the capacity of media professionals and CSOs to understand relevant legal frameworks, detect and respond to digital rights breaches—especially data privacy violations—and close accountability gaps.
Recognising the crucial roles the media and CSOs play in shaping public awareness and demanding accountability, Agu encouraged citizens to use platforms such as Ripoti to report and track rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable.
In response, Shuaibu Muhammad, speaking on behalf of the participants, commended Accountability Lab Nigeria for the timely and insightful training.
He pledged that media practitioners and CSOs in Nasarawa would leverage their platforms to create awareness and ensure the protection of digital rights for all residents of the state.
