KATSINA, Nigeria — The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has cautioned corps members against spreading unverified information on social media as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

Nafiu gave the warning on Wednesday during an official inspection visit to the NYSC permanent orientation camp in Katsina State.

He urged the corps members to develop critical thinking skills and ensure that any information circulating online is authentic before sharing or commenting on it.

According to the director-general, the youths have a major responsibility to help combat misinformation and protect the public from the harmful effects of manipulated content.

He advised them to scrutinize images and videos to determine when they were originally captured and whether they have been digitally altered.

Nafiu cited instances where old photographs and videos were falsely presented as recent occurrences involving the NYSC scheme to mislead the public.

He also warned them to be vigilant against artificial intelligence-generated content, noting that technological advancements have made it difficult to distinguish genuine media from fabrications.

Additionally, the NYSC boss reminded the corps members that they are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities during their service year.

He specifically warned them against using their personal social media handles to campaign for any political party or candidate.

Nafiu further indicated that the corps members would likely be deployed as ad-hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the 2027 general elections.

He described the upcoming election duty as an opportunity for them to contribute to a credible, free, and fair democratic process in Nigeria.