Kano Workshop Equips Religious Leaders With Tools Against Fake News

Enhancing the capacity of Religious Leaders on combating false narratives have been described as major pillar of addressing disputes and communal clashes .

Editor of Alkalanci Hausa-language fact-checking and media literacy organisation Malam Alhassan Bala disclosed this during a two-day capacity-building workshop for Islamic clerics on combating false narratives and promoting media literacy taking place in Kano.

Malam Alhassan Bala said the training was aimed at equipping religious leaders with skills to identify and counter misinformation, particularly on social media.

He said said the initiative was designed to build resilience against fake news through critical thinking and fact-checking.

“We live in a time where information travels fast, and unfortunately, much of it is misleading or false. Religious leaders have a key role in ensuring what they share is verified and truthful,” .

Bala explained that the program would introduce clerics to practical tools for verifying text, images, and videos, and emphasized the importance of fostering a culture of media literacy within communities.

“Alkalanci, founded in October 2024, focuses on countering misinformation in Hausa and plans to expand similar trainings to other states across Nigeria”

The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, represented by Bauran Kano, Alhaji Abbas Dalhatu, expressed support for the initiative and urged participants to apply the knowledge gained.

The Chairman of the Kano State Council of Ulama, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, described the training as timely, noting its importance in equipping clerics with the technical skills to combat the spread of fake news.

The workshop drew participants from within and outside Kano State, including imams of Jumu’at mosques and other religious leaders.