REPORT: Facebook’s Monetisation Strategy Fueling the Rise of Misinformation Economies in Northern Nigeria

By: Mustapha Lawal

Following our earlier analysis of Facebook’s content monetisation model and its inherent risks, this sequel focuses on how the rollout of monetisation tools in Nigeria, particularly in Northern regions, has spurred the creation of local misinformation economies.

Using HumAngle’s firsthand reporting, we explore how creators, especially students, are being incentivised to prioritise sensationalism over truth.

In 2024, Meta opened up its content monetisation features to creators in Nigeria and Ghana, allowing users to earn through in-stream ads and Facebook Reels once they met certain eligibility criteria (Techpoint Africa, Punch Nigeria). Originally presented as a unique opportunity to empower African creators and boost the digital economy, this move came amid growing concerns that monetisation based solely on engagement could unwittingly reward misinformation and sensationalism, as noted in an earlier analysis of the move by FactCheckAfrica.

Verification & Insights: The HumAngle Investigation

HumAngle’s August 2025 investigation, “How Facebook’s Monetisation Programme is Fuelling the Misinformation Economy in Northern Nigeria”, offers a vivid case study of this phenomenon. The article profiles, amongst other cases, an Amina Yusuf, a university student who transformed her dormant Facebook account into a monetised platform. She focused on posting trending TikTok clips, regardless of their truthfulness, because sensational content drives more engagement. 

Amina candidly admitted: “My job is just to share… If it makes people comment and watch, that’s all I need.” Her experience reflects a broader digital ecosystem where content virality is directly tied to income. In a region where poverty and underpaid lecturers are common, Facebook monetisation offers a rare path to earnings but at the cost of fidelity and accuracy .

The HumAngle report highlights how the platform’s algorithm favours emotionally charged content, the kind that spreads fast and wide, reinforcing the idea that the more scandalous the claim, the likelier it is to drive revenue. Influencers now often coordinate via WhatsApp groups, sharing strategies for engagement-worthy content. A local journalist, Bashir Sharfadi from Kano, observed in the HumAngle report, “It’s the main source of news for millions. So when influencers post fake news, the impact is immediate and vast.”

Supporting this observation, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) had earlier found that many viral misinformation posts in Nigeria originated from influencers monetising high-engagement content.

This underscores how economic desperation and platform incentives align to normalise misinformation. As Facebook monetisation spreads, it reinforces “engagement-first” content creation, sidelining journalistic integrity and critical thinking, a point echoed by content ethicists and Brain Builders media and communication expert Sanni Issa Alausa in his analysis published on Daily Trust. 

Furthermore, this trend exists alongside growing structural challenges, most especially Meta’s shift from professional third-party fact-checking to the “Community Notes” model. Many stakeholders, employers, NGOs, and fact-checking coalitions have warned that this gap further empowers misinformation actors in contexts like Nigeria, as noted on multiple platforms such as Techpoint Africa, Nairametrics, Daily Trust, and LSE Blogs. 

Conclusion

This follow-up analysis builds on FactCheckAfrica’s earlier critique of Facebook’s monetisation model, illustrating its real-world consequences in Nigeria. The monetisation tools, while financially empowering for some, have grown into an economy of misinformation, rewarding sensationalism over fact. To counter this trend, social platforms must integrate ethical checks into monetisation, and creators should be supported with media literacy and integrity-orientated incentives.