The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier.-General Olakunle Nafiu, has cautioned corps members against blindly sharing information on social media, urging them to verify content before reposting, particularly as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections.
Brigadier.-General Olakunle Nafiu gave the warning on Wednesday while addressing corps members during an inspection visit to the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Katsina State.
Nafiu urged the corps members to develop critical thinking skills and ensure that information circulating on social media was authentic before sharing or commenting on it.
According to him, corps members have an important responsibility to help combat misinformation and protect society from the harmful effects of false and manipulated content.
The NYSC boss cited the circulation of old photographs and videos falsely presented as recent incidents involving the scheme as examples of how misinformation could mislead members of the public.
He also warned corps members to be particularly vigilant about artificial intelligence-generated and digitally manipulated content, noting that advances in technology had made it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine content from fabricated content.
Nafiu stressed that the orientation programme was designed not only to instil discipline and teamwork, but also to prepare corps members to become responsible citizens capable of making informed decisions.
He reminded them that corps members were prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities while in national service, especially using social media platforms to campaign for political parties or political interests.
The DG further disclosed that corps members were likely to be deployed as ad hoc personnel by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the 2027 general elections.
He described the assignment as an opportunity for them to contribute to credible, free and fair elections, and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process.