As part of efforts aimed at addressing spread of misinformation in the country, members of the Action Against Fake News Network (AAFN) recently launched a multifaceted advocacy toolkit, featuring a music album and specialised notebooks.

Speaking at the launch held in Lagos recently, AAFN President, Babatunde Ashafa, observed combating fake news is important prerequisite for protecting the nation’s democracy.

To him, the initiative is specifically designed to mobilise citizens across all the 774 local government areas, positioning them as ambassadors against distortion of facts.

He added by utilising a music album titled, ‘Malam is a Teacher’, the AAFN is leveraging creative arts to make anti-misinformation messages inclusive and available to underserved communities.

Ashafa disclosed, “our plan is to brand over seventy percent of Nigerians as anti fake news ambassador. We are organising musical concerts on anti-fake news in each local government. We are planning to distribute about 10,000 copies of anti-fake news notebooks in each of the local governments.”

Saying leaders too must also listen, Ashafa revealed the term ‘Malam’ is presented as a metaphor for leadership and problem-solving, reframing the individual’s role from a passive consumer of information to an active, critical thinker.

To him, “education remains a central pillar of the AAFN strategy. The distribution of anti-fake news notebooks to pupils and students represents a strategic move to instil media literacy from a young age. By awakening the consciousness of children, the network aims to build a generation capable of identifying and rejecting falsehoods before they can influence public perception.”

On his part, AAFN’s legal adviser, Princewill Akpakpan, argued the spread of unverified information can affect the nation adversely.

He disclosed that fake news carries punishable offences such as libel, defamation, and forgery.