The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the establishment of Naija Falsehood Buster, a groundbreaking national hub aimed at combating fake news and disinformation, with the project to be led by Dr. Toyin Segun Onayinka of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE).
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)-approved research is one of 158 projects funded under the 2024 National Research Fund (NRF).
The initiative, officially titled Modelling AI to Identify Falsehoods: Impact of On-Air Personalities and Social Media Influencers on National Integration, will combine artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing, and mixed-methods fieldwork to track and evaluate falsehoods circulating in Nigeria’s digital and broadcast media. Hosted at FUOYE, the project will also develop a national database of influential on-air personalities and social media influencers, enabling regulators, policymakers, and media organisations to better monitor and counter harmful narratives.
According to Dr. Onayinka, who is the Head of FUOYE’s Department of Broadcasting and Principal Investigator, the FUOYE don to lead FG’s national hub against fake news will serve as a vital tool in safeguarding national cohesion. “Falsehoods and manipulated narratives can accelerate societal polarisation and erode public trust,” he warned. “This hub will provide real-time, locally-trained AI tools and evidence-based guidance to strengthen media literacy, support fact-checking, and inform regulatory and policy interventions that protect national cohesion.”
The project team is made up of specialists from across Nigerian universities, including Dr. Jacob Kehinde Opele (Information Management, FUOYE), Dr. Lawrence Bunmi Adewole (Artificial Intelligence, FUOYE), Dr. Chioma Ifeoma Agbasimelo (Strategic Communication, UNIZIK), Dr. Blessing Vou Dakat (Pragmatics/Discourse, UNIJOS), and Mrs. Grace Oluwakemi Onipede (Junior Researcher). Their work will lead to the development of the AI-powered “Naija Falsehood Buster” platform, alongside annotated datasets and interactive dashboards that will visualise misinformation trends in real time.
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Designed to be completed within 24 months, the project’s impact will extend beyond academia, offering accessible Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) tools to fact-checkers, journalists, and civil society organisations. It will also generate policy briefs and analytical reports for public and private institutions seeking to address the growing challenge of misinformation in Nigeria.
In a related development, FUOYE also recorded two other research wins in the 2024 TETFund NRF grants. Professor Olayide Lawal, of the Department of Industrial Chemistry, secured funding for research on alternative energy from biomass, while Dr. Bamigbola Emmanuel Adelaja, of the Faculty of Pharmacy, will lead a study into novel plant-derived anti-cancer nano drugs for treating breast and prostate cancers.
The establishment of the Naija Falsehood Buster hub signals a strategic move by the Federal Government to embrace technology in curbing misinformation, reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to national unity and informed public discourse.
