The Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, has emphasised community engagement as a pathway to build a robust network of informed local actors capable of championing inclusive digital governance.
Odeh also stressed the need to adopt digital tools such as the recently developed digital platform called ” Ripoti” to fight online harms in Nasarawa State.
He made the call at a one-day community-focused workshop, organised by Accountability Lab Nigeria with support from Luminate, held in Lafia, Nasarawa State on Monday.
According to him, equipping local actors with the knowledge that digital rights are human rights was the best way to lay the foundation for a community that refuses to be silent.
”We are basically here to support the Nasarawa State people with creating awareness and platforms where they can engage on digital rights and data protection
“This is to enable us create awareness where we want to hear what the people have said. The key issues that cut across the state and part of the things we’ve heard is sexual harassment, surveillance, platform moderation, and every other thing that needs to be said with the people.”
Odeh pointed out that while digital rights infractions share regional similarities across Nigeria, local nuances must be identified to force big tech and government institutions to react responsibly.
He said that utilising tech tools like Ripoti to enhance incident reporting, track digital harm trends would help to build evidence-based advocacy campaigns.
”We’re keen to see how we will support them to create platforms and when I mean platforms, we are talking about a coalition for collective action because these are issues which we’ve identified that goes around different states, different regions, and there are similarities.
” But we want to find those unique identities in Nasarawa on how we can address these issues that require big tech companies, platforms, and government within the National Data Protection Act to respond in ways that people are protected”, he said.
Odeh observed that while digital threats look similar across the country, the solution must be tailored to the unique community dynamics of Nasarawa State.
He said the workshop was aimed at tackling pressing digital participation barriers, online risks, and governance challenges unique to the State.
The Country Director therefore called journalists to educate the public using ethical reporting practices that emphasise consent, strict confidentiality, and responsible data handling.
He also called on stakeholders to explore
emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital identity inorder to ensure adequate data protection.
The workshop served as both a sanctuary for these stories and a tactical classroom.
In a keynote address, Gender Associate, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Akakan Markson outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the state, emphasising that the digital age requires immediate, collaborative, and structured action to protect citizens online.
Markson noted that the engagement was specifically designed to address the unique digital rights challenges facing diverse demographics in the state, including community members, journalists, students, women, and creatives.
”We must move beyond mere conversations and toward a shared understanding and actionable framework that strengthens the protection and promotion of digital rights across Nasarawa State”, she said.
She , therefore called on stakeholders to agree on a joint action plan featuring clear next steps, defined stakeholder roles, and simple coordination mechanisms to bridge the awareness gap among everyday citizens.
Some of the participants, including Isaac Ukpoju of the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) and Collins Agwam of the Punch Newspaper said at the meeting introduced them to practical and secure documentation tools like the Ripoti platform, designed to give victims a voice and a safe mechanism to log abuses.
They promised to explore the ethical responsibilities of the digital world in the reportage while reporting digital rights infringements, focusing on consent, confidentiality, and how communities can rally around survivors.
