Inclusive governance is essential for any thriving society; however, misinformation and disinformation continue to impede women and youth participation in politics, and governance in Nigeria, ENE OSHABA writes
The world today is characterized by the rapid dissemination of information through various digital platforms hence the battle against misinformation and disinformation has never been more crucial.
Misinformation and disinformation, which are often intertwined, is collectively referred to as fake news have over time become formidable barriers to inclusive governance in Nigeria.
It is against this background that the Women and Youth for Nigeria Alliance (Way4Nigeria) recently took a bold step in addressing this pressing issue by convening a Policy Roundtable to explore the profound impact of false information on the inclusion and participation of women and youth in governance.
Speaking during the Roundtable the Executive Director, Raising New Voices and the Chairman, Steering Committee at Women and Youth for Nigeria (Way4Nigeria) Alliance, Victor Tyorhember, decried the fact that there was a dangerous prevalence of misinformation and disinformation generally in Nigeria.
Tyorhember, who expressed worry that the more the danger of fake news is talked about, the more it’s becoming worse, noted that the development affects women and youths more hence their low participation in governance.
“When we look at this issue we look at it from the angle of what level of violence or the violence that misinformation and disinformation can cause, but as an alliance that is more concerned about the inclusion of women or youth when looking at those misinformation, basically, its impact on the level of participation of women and youth.
“Two demographics of people that have been targets of the content of misinformation disinformation are women and youths.
“The Policy Roundtable is aimed to dissect these barriers, shed light on their consequences, and explore solutions to foster a more informed, empowered, and participatory society,” he stated.
In her contribution, the Project Manager for the Democracy Project at Friedrich Albert Stiffon, Juliana Anosike, said it had become imperative to do follow ups after elections to demand that women and youth issues are taken into considerations and brought to the limelight to ensure women and youths inclusion in the governance structure.
“After the elections, the highlights were that disinformation, misinformation played a vital role and all the challenges and heated policies so we decided that the effect of misinformation and disinformation in the country’s election, there is a need to increase the participation of women and youths.
According to Anosike, misinformation and disinformation divided Nigerians along ethnic lines.
She noted that it affected women and youth in participating in the election and that led to this research to find out the extent and try to validate the extent.
“There is actually a nexus between misinformation, disinformation and the participation of women and youths in politics. We have seen the barriers and challenges from fake news on women participation, it plays a very important role in women’s participation in politics.
“My advice is that if you think the information, you have is newsworthy but you can’t verify its authenticity you shouldn’t share it. There are certain apps that detects fake news from the correct news, you can ask people you know.
“Fake news doesn’t benefit anybody except for those with selfish interest and so we should try to do the right things because if you give people the opportunity to vie for their best candidates,” she stated.
Sharing experience
The Roundtable, which was part of activities of the Way4Nigeria Alliance, brought together organisations that work with women and youths so that they could decide on follow up on elections and what they could do to ensure that their demands were being taken into consideration by the government after elections.
Advocates from different Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), government officials, media practitioners, and other stakeholders converged to embark on the collective journey to unravel the complexities of this ever-pervasive problem.
The striking revelation from the gathering was the extent to which misinformation influenced public opinion and, consequently, shaped the political landscape in the last elections.
False narratives, it was agreed, could sway voters and skew their decisions, perpetuating the underrepresentation of women and youth in positions of power.
For one of the participants, Yunus Abdulhamid, a Development Worker, disinformation, misinformation, or fake news as it is popularly called, has impacted on the electoral integrity in Nigeria.
This is as insisted that that this has contributed negatively to the progress of electioneering in Nigeria.
Abdulhamid likened fake news to fake drugs which is very dangerous to health, and urged women and youths in particular to verify every information at their reach before accepting.
“We should be very careful because wrong information actually is very dangerous and evil to our health, just the way taking wrong drugs, or fake drugs or as bad drugs is harmful to our health. Fake news or fake information is also harmful to our wellbeing. It could cause a crisis.
“I will advise the youth and women to consider every information that gets to them, especially from the new media, or social media or digital media. You should take it with a pinch of salt, you should doubt it.
“Just like in law, they say an accused or a suspect is innocent. until proven guilty. They should also apply it or consider any information or piece of news that gets to them to be suspect so it is authenticated to be the right news.
“Women and youth should not just consume whatever comes to them as information but also verify, even if it is coming from trusted persons, because even trusted persons could give you wrong information without knowing and as a result make us choose wrong leaders.
“Every bit of information that is coming is coming from a third party. Human beings from the electronic media wherever it is coming from.
“Let us try as much as we can. Before we would consume before, maybe we apply it if it is not even where to where to apply the information where to take a decision based on the information that was actually based on information,” he urged.
Ohis part, another participant, Barr Julliet, a legal practitioner and the House of Representatives Candidate for Bwari/Amac Constituency in the last general elections, lauded the campaign against misinformation and disinformation.
She stressed that the campaign should be pushed further so that every citizen could be heralders of good information and consultative critics.
“We all need to collectively push the participation of women and youth in governance understanding that citizens are the most powerful tool in promoting the issue of women, youth and persons with disabilities.
“The media space has a lot to play, but we need to support them by verifying information before we send to our social media platforms and other channels of communication.
“Though, misinformation and disinformation didn’t affect me as a politician because I’m more of a positive inclined person but it affected both women and men in elections but when people start shunning fake news especially stereotypes it will go a long way in sanitising the system.
“I advise prospective women politicians to build their confidence in research, have knowledge in the processes and be friends with the media,” she stated.
Men as allies
Abdulhamid maintained that having men’s voices advocating for women and youth inclusion in governance will be beneficial to all.
“They’re not saying men should go away, they are saying we’re partners in this. If men see it through that prism, then you will also give them a chance because in Nigeria for example, the population of men and women is about 50/50.
“Now, I do not know of any society that will progress by relegating half of their population to the background. What it means is that you will have half of the population untapped and unhappy.
“What do you benefit from? If your mother, your sister, your auntie, your daughter, what makes you all unhappy? Is it because you are having a selfish tendency as a man? “Government should include women and support them for the wellbeing of society because we cannot do without them, we cannot also push them away and call them names,” he declared.
Similarly, another legal practitioner based in Abuja, Usman Isah Tochukwu, said addressing the effect of fake news was apt following what transpired in the runup to the last general elections.
“This is a very important topic especially when you look at the trajectory of what happened in the 2023 elections where INEC has not announced results and some persons started shifting narratives on who won so this topic will help to reshape our thoughts. The pattern we use in sending out information to the public.
“Participation of women and youth in governance is no longer news; that the future is women when we talk about women, and this is a global paradigm shift when we talk about leadership because women have taken over power everywhere in the world so I think it is time for us to shift from patriarchal kind of leadership to recognising women in place of leadership.
“Sex and gender should not be a barrier for anybody to occupy a political position. I think we should be more concerned about the competence and character and ability to deliver when you take over power.
“For the youths it is said that any government that does not have a youth agenda is endangered. So, for that purpose we should accommodate the youth in the spaces of governance.
“We must continue to drive these conversations because most of the injustice that is being done in our systems is as a result of the porous legislations that has been embedded in our constitution and this type of conversation is what can help them address the issues because the citizens have woken up and are conscious of governance and our rights within the leadership space.
“Having more men lead the conversations around gender I think will make some difference because there is this gender bias that has automatically been created in the system.
“So, we won’t allow same people that have been pushed to wall to be the ones driving the conversations so it would be more like a supportive hand if men join the conversation so that women would be motivated knowing that they have the support of the men.
“It is important for us to recognise and understand that politics is expensive anywhere in the world, especially when you narrow the discussions down to Nigeria. So, it is important for the women to have the collaboration with men within that space. It is important for them to have the CSOs focus their goals to women who want to be part of governance because if they don’t do that it will be very difficult for the women to thrive.
“If you don’t have money you cannot mobilise, but when you have civil organisation’s support it will be easier,” Tochukwu stressed
