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NGE Tasks Newsrooms, INEC on Must-Do Measures for Credible 2027 Polls

The Guild warned that synthetic content could be produced and distributed rapidly, including fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports attributed to established media organisations.

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• [File photo] L-R Prof Pat Utomi; Prof Chinyere Okunna and Eze Anaba President Nigerian Guild of Editors at the 22nd All Nigerian Editors Conference in Enugu. Photo. Nwankpa Chijioke.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has tasked news organisations and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with implementing far-reaching reforms to strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The Guild, in a communiqué issued at the end of the 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC 2026) in Enugu, called on newsrooms to institutionalise fact-checking and verification systems and integrate digital verification, deepfake detection and forensic tools into their editorial workflows.

The communiqué, signed by NGE President, Eze Anaba, and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, also called for electoral reforms, including the introduction of a 50 per cent threshold for presidential elections and the resolution of electoral disputes before the swearing-in of declared winners.

The Guild urged all news organisations to adopt the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage (Revised 2022) and train journalists and other editorial staff on its provisions ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Code was jointly endorsed by the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NGE, Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union, and Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.

According to the Guild, the media has a critical responsibility to provide accurate, verified and independent information to the electorate while holding governments, political parties and other centres of power to account.

The NGE identified generative artificial intelligence, deepfakes, voice cloning and automated networks as major emerging threats to the integrity of electoral information.

The Guild warned that synthetic content could be produced and distributed rapidly, including fabricated election results, cloned voices of public officials, forged documents, manipulated result sheets and fake reports attributed to established media organisations.

The editors said the greatest danger was not merely the circulation of individual falsehoods but the broader erosion of public trust when citizens became unable to distinguish authentic information from fabricated content.

The conference, with the theme, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” was chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, while the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, delivered the keynote address.

Vice President Kashim Shettima participated virtually as Special Guest of Honour, while Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, served as Chief Host.

More than 500 editors, publishers and senior media practitioners from print, broadcast and digital platforms, alongside political, traditional, religious, academic, regulatory and development-sector leaders, attended the conference.

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JUST IN: 1 Dead, 3 Rescued in Fadeyi Building Collapse, Lagos

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A two-storey building has collapsed in the Fadeyi area of Lagos, resulting in one fatality and the rescue of three people, emergency officials confirmed on Friday morning.

The incident occurred in the early hours, sending residents and nearby traders into panic as the structure suddenly gave way. Rescue teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and other first responders quickly arrived at the scene and began extracting victims from the rubble.

According to preliminary reports, one person was confirmed dead at the site, while three others were pulled out alive and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Their conditions have not yet been disclosed.

Security personnel have cordoned off the area to allow rescue operations to continue and to prevent further access by onlookers. Officials are still assessing whether any other persons remain trapped under the debris.

The cause of the collapse has not been established. Authorities have not ruled out structural failure, but investigations are ongoing.

Further updates are expected as the rescue operation progresses and more details become available from emergency services.

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UNILAG School Teachers Begin Work-to-Rule Over Unpaid Arrears

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Teachers at the International School, University of Lagos (ISL), on Wednesday commenced a work-to-rule action over unpaid salary arrears, their removal from the university’s payroll, and delays in implementing a National Industrial Court judgment.

The staff are demanding the payment of outstanding Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Teaching Allowance (CONTTA) arrears, as well as arrears from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary adjustments approved in 2024. They also want full restoration to the university’s payroll.

Comrade Razak Yusuf, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Lagos branch, said the industrial action followed prolonged delays in resolving the teachers’ employment status and financial entitlements.

The teachers had approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ruled in their favour on May 11, 2026. Despite the judgment, they claim the university has yet to fully restore their names to the payroll or settle outstanding benefits.

Protesters carried placards with messages such as “Equal Work, Equal Rights,” “ISL tutors deserve their due,” and “Other UNILAG staff paid, ISL tutors still owed.” The action disrupted teaching and a scheduled mid-term examination at the school.

The teachers called on the university management to restore the affected staff to the payroll, settle all outstanding financial obligations, and provide a clear payment plan with timelines.

They rejected suggestions that any interim arrangement under the university’s Council protocol amounted to goodwill, insisting they were only seeking recognition of their employment rights.

The development continues a pattern of industrial disputes at the University of Lagos over salary and allowance issues.

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JUST IN: Gas Emissions Hit Ogun Schools, Hundreds of Pupils Hospitalised

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Hundreds of students were hospitalised on Wednesday morning after fresh gaseous emissions hit parts of Ogun State, including Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye.

The incident affected pupils at Anglican Girls Grammar School, Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, and Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School. Several schools in Ago-Iwoye suspended academic activities and sent students home as a precaution.

Kehinde Bello, General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), visited the affected areas and linked the emissions to underground gas previously recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026. He said the situation was under control and attributed the releases to natural geological and tectonic fault lines, ruling out sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.

Bello assured residents that the state government was working on a lasting solution. He advised anyone exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs.

The recurring emissions have renewed concerns about the safety of students and residents in the affected communities.

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