Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday , warned that Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled misinformation was making reputation management increasingly difficult.
Shettima cautioned that fabricated videos, cloned voices, and manipulated images could undermine public trust before the truth is established.
Shettima spoke at the opening of the Duke Masterclass on Definitive Strategies in Robust Crisis Management in Abuja.
He said the speed at which false information spread in the digital age had raised the stakes for government institutions, businesses, and public figures.
Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, in his preliminary remarks at the event, warned that mistimed public communication could undermine negotiations and frustrate efforts to resolve conflicts.
Anyaoku urged mediators to exercise caution over what they disclose and the timing.
Represented by Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs in the Office of the Vice President, Dr. Tope Fasua, Shetimma said the growing sophistication of digital manipulation required institutions to strengthen their capacity to verify information and respond to crises without sacrificing accuracy.
He stated that false information could reach millions of people within minutes, sometimes before the individual or institution concerned had an opportunity to respond.
“If a photograph can be manipulated, if a voice can be cloned, and a video can be fabricated, just wait a simple prompt on social media to make an individual appear to have said or done something that never happened,” he said.
Shettima observed that Nigeria’s expanding digital ecosystem had widened access to commerce, financial services, information, and public participation, but also increased the responsibility of citizens and institutions to distinguish credible information from deliberate manipulation.
He warned that reputation management could no longer be treated as an exercise undertaken only after a crisis had erupted.
According to him, organisations must establish systems for verifying claims, correcting false information promptly, and communicating through channels that the public recognises and trusts.
He added that speed must not take precedence over accuracy, stating that a hasty response could be as damaging as a delayed one.
“The strongest defence against misinformation is a consistent record of openness, competence and integrity,” he said.
The vice president also stated that effective crisis communication must go beyond announcing government policies to building public understanding of their implications and demonstrating progress with credible evidence.
He said the success of economic reforms depended partly on the ability of government, the media, professionals, and citizens to engage constructively with the changes taking place.
While urging professionals and the middle class to help explain complex economic issues, Shettima cautioned against uncritical defence of government actions or dismissing citizens’ concerns.
He said constructive scrutiny and informed public participation were essential to strengthening governance, sustaining confidence, and broadening the benefits of economic reforms.
Shettima identified Nigeria’s financial sector, creative industries, agriculture, oil and gas, real estate, and digital economy as areas with significant opportunities for investment and job creation. But he stressed that their potential would depend on improvements in electricity supply, security, transport, education, access to finance, and institutional capacity.
He urged communication professionals to promote responsible leadership and evidence-based public discourse, saying the ultimate measure of their work should be stronger institutions, restored trust, and improved lives, rather than publicity or applause.
Anyaoku: Timing Can Make or Break Peace Negotiations
Anyaoku warned that poorly timed public communication could undermine negotiations and undermine efforts to resolve conflicts. He urged mediators to exercise discretion over what they disclose and when they do so.
Drawing on his experience in international diplomacy, Anyaoku said successful conflict resolution required a careful understanding of the underlying dispute, the principal actors, and the supporters sustaining their respective positions.
He said mediators must also assess when to communicate progress in negotiations to the public, cautioning that premature disclosure can sabotage an otherwise promising process.
According to him, the final requirement is to identify a mutually acceptable meeting point on the central issues separating the parties.
He said mediators must understand not only the positions of the principal parties but also the interests and influence of those closest to their leaders, whose backing could determine whether an agreement would hold.
Anyaoku’s remarks highlighted a critical distinction in crisis management: transparency is important, but disclosure without strategic judgment can complicate efforts to resolve disputes.
His position complemented Shettima’s warning about the risks of misinformation, particularly in an environment where public narratives could harden rapidly and constrain the room available for negotiation.
The former diplomat stressed that careful assessment and timing were central to effective leadership in conflict situations.
Adesina: Reputation Cannot Survive Without Integrity
Chairman of AXA Mansard and Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Mr. Kola Adesina, said reputation was built through consistent performance, character, and goodwill, warning that wealth, status, and professional titles cannot compensate for lack of integrity.
Adesina stated that the credibility of individuals and institutions was determined less by what they said about themselves than by their decisions, conduct, and willingness to accept responsibility when things went wrong.
He said crisis was an unavoidable feature of personal and corporate life, making it important for leaders to learn from past mistakes rather than repeat them.
He identified performance, character, and goodwill as three critical determinants of reputation, adding that credibility is built long before a crisis emerged.
According to him, organisations that fail to deliver on their promises or routinely offer excuses instead of results eventually undermine the trust they need to survive difficult periods.
Using Nigeria’s electricity industry as an example, Adesina said customers were ultimately concerned about whether power was available when they switched on their lights, rather than the technical explanations offered by operators.
He described the country’s persistent electricity challenges as a collective failure and stated that service delivery, rather than explanations, should define institutional performance.
Adesina also linked individual and corporate conduct to Nigeria’s international image, saying citizens could be judged abroad not only by their personal behaviour but also by the reputation associated with the country.
He warned that dishonesty, compromised standards, and decisions driven by private gain could damage institutions and impose costs on the wider public.
In the public sector, he said, decisions to compromise the quality of roads, healthcare facilities, and other essential services for personal enrichment could have consequences extending beyond financial losses to endanger lives.
He urged leaders to examine what their organisations were known for, what conduct could destroy public confidence, and whether their daily decisions reinforced or weakened their credibility.
Adesina added that trust was essential to the acceptance of corporate reports and public disclosures, stating that even well-presented information would carry little weight if stakeholders suspected that the underlying facts had been manipulated.
He said integrity must remain the foundation of reputation, as public confidence could not be sustained through communications campaigns alone when actual conduct contradicted the message.
Duke of Shomolu Targets Crisis Preparedness
Earlier, Chairman of the Duke of Shomolu Foundation, Mr. Joseph Edgar, said the masterclass was designed to equip individuals and organisations with practical strategies for anticipating crises, managing their consequences, and protecting institutional reputations.
Edgar said the initiative complemented the foundation’s use of theatre to promote social cohesion and strengthen public engagement.
James Emejo
Follow us on:
