The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Kashifu Abdullahi says knowledge has become the most valuable tool in crisis management, but its speed has changed dramatically, moving from newspaper pace to a single online click.
Delivering a keynote paper in Abuja Nigeria’s capital at a National Symposium on Digital Innovations in Crisis Communication, Dr Abdullahi warned that crisis management has entered a new era where the real battle is for truth, trust and public confidence, all fought online in real time.
He stated that “false information spreads six times faster than the truth, travelling deeper and lasting longer because it is often sensational and designed to trigger emotional reactions.’
Dr Abdullahi explained that “emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, data systems and social media platforms, are engineered to amplify novelty, making falsehoods more viral than verified facts.”
According to him, technology is not the enemy rather, it is neutral but bad actors often weaponise it during elections, economic turbulence, social movements and even protests, exploiting vulnerabilities to mislead the public, manipulate sentiment and trigger harmful consequences within minutes.
He cited the 2013 incident when Syrian hackers falsely tweeted about explosions at the White House, which led to an automated market sell-off, wiping out over 140 billion US dollars in mere minutes, showing just how fragile digital-era crises have become.
Dr Abdullahi also noted that during elections across the world, including in Africa, digital platforms are used to manipulate public opinion, influence outcomes and sow division. What began as tools for connection, he said, have now become engines of political polarisation and mistrust.
Dr Abdullahi highlighted a paradox facing modern society saying “while citizens demand privacy, they unknowingly surrender their deepest personal data to big tech platforms, which now hold more private information than most governments. These powerful companies, he said, possess unaccountable influence over what people see, learn, believe, buy or even who they trust.”
He stressed that Nigeria must build its own safeguards and develop smart regulatory mechanisms that protect democracy, uphold privacy and preserve public trust without shutting down innovation or blocking the internet.
Dr Abdullahi revealed that following the 2021 Twitter ban, Nigeria did not introduce new laws but instead compelled big tech companies to obey existing national laws, register locally, activate content removal processes, file tax returns, provide transparency reports and take responsibility for harmful content.
According to him, this gave birth to the current Code of Practice and established formal communication channels between government, service providers and digital platforms.
Dr Abdullahi disclosed that within the last year alone, three major platforms, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok, deactivated over 28 million accounts used for impersonation, social engineering and harmful propaganda. More than 58 million harmful contents were removed, while about 420,000 were reinstated after review, highlighting both abuse and the importance of accountability and appeals.
He emphasised that Nigeria is working on the Online Harm Protection Bill, aimed at “building a national legal framework for online safety, protecting citizens, preserving democratic integrity and balancing freedom of speech with public security.”
In his words, crisis management in the digital age requires tools, collaboration and independent oversight.
He called for institutions like the Centre for Crisis Communication to serve as neutral platforms bringing together government, civil society and big tech to build trust, credibility and resilience.
Dr Abdullahi concluded that the future of crisis management lies in real-time detection, fact-checking, AI-powered moderation and local cultural intelligence, because some harmful content spreads and causes damage within minutes, not hours or days.
The event was organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication.