INEC Says Beware of Fake Videos, and Nigerians Are Asking Which Ones They Mean: Real Ones or Fake Ones?

INEC has just warned us about AI-generated fake news and deepfakes ahead of 2027. Yes, the same INEC. Amupitan said content made by AI can reach millions of people before officials, journalists, or fact-checkers have even finished opening their laptops. Fantastic. We have been living in that country since 2015, my friend.

The warning is simple. Someone can make a video of a candidate saying something he never said. Or an audio clip of a governor “confessing” in a voice that sounds exactly like him. Just imagine. In Nigeria, where a politician can say something on Monday and deny it on Tuesday, a deepfake is now the best excuse ever invented. “That was not me. That was AI.” Done. Case closed. Every politician on earth just got a new legal team that works for free.

But here is the real problem. How will you know what is fake? Last week, a clip went round of a man promising free electricity. Half of my family group said it was AI. The other half said, “No, he said it, I know his face, he has said worse.” That is the level we are at.

And you know our people. A message arrives in the WhatsApp group: “FORWARD TO TEN PEOPLE, THIS IS REAL.” Nobody checks. We just forward it with three praying hands and “Please read.” My auntie has forwarded the same lie for four elections, and she has never once regretted it.

INEC also has a plan. A five-point strategy, they say. A rapid-response team to answer false claims in the same news cycle. Beautiful. We would love to see a team that answers faster than a rumour that started on a bus going to Ikeja. Also, they are thinking of a mock election to test the system. Good. They also need to replace accreditation devices that were lost or damaged last time, and the money has been proposed but not fully released. So we are going to fight AI with machines we are still waiting to buy.

Then they told editors at the conference to fact-check properly. Imagine. Some websites have been running headlines like “SHOCKING: You Will Not Believe What He Did” since 2012, and now we want them to verify first? Sounds like a lot to ask of a man who writes his news from a group chat.

My own advice is free. Before you share anything, ask yourself three questions: Who sent it? Where is the original source? And does it make you angrier than a bill from a hotel minibar? If yes, it is probably fake.

Collect your PVC. The collection has started. If the AI can fake everything else, at least you will have one real thing in your hand.