Journalists and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  have been trained in Abuja to Combat Fake news and misinformation in the 2019 general elections.

The two-day fact-checking training, organised by Centre for Democracy and Development, held between Monday, December 10 and Tuesday, December 11.

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, Ray Power, The Cable and others  attended the training.

Armsfree Ajanaku, senior communication officer of the centre said that fake news would definitely have a negative influence on the voting habit of the citizens.

“We need to know that fake news if left to thrive will gain lots of traction for people that want to peddle this false news for their own good, as gatekeepers, we have the duty of stopping this information from causing social and democratic harm”

“It is appropriate that participants be equipped with the required techniques to put a quick stop to fake news and expose the peddlers of such stories.

“So it is only necessary that proactive approaches be discussed,” Ajanaku said.

Fadare Titilope,  one of the journalists in attendance told The ICIR that  the training has added value to his experience and promised to use the new skill acquired  to effectively counter fake news.

“I believe the fact-checking skill will go a long way in providing effective journalism at the same time dispelling concocted disinformation and misinformation.

“I would start employing this skill in my piece and hope there would be future training of this kind,” she said.

Other participants  also commended CDD for organising a training that prepared stakeholders ahead of the 2019 election.