Ruth Oginyi
A USAID-funded project State Accountability, Transparency, and Effectiveness (State2State) has engaged Ebonyi journalists on conflict sensitivity and do no harm reporting.
The event took place in Abakaliki Ebonyi State, southeast Nigeria.
During the three days intensive training, Journalists were advised to ensure that the content and language of their reports does not do harm to any ethnic group or bring sentiment among the audience.
Obinna Chukwuezie, resource person at the training, and the Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist, State2State Activity, in a presentation, pointed out that three-quarters of Nigeria’s geopolitical zone were already in conflict situations.
Mr. Obinna charged journalists and other information officers in the state to always write stories in a way to bring solutions to conflict and not lead to violence.
He said this because necessary as preparation for the 2023 general election approaches.
The resource person noted that with the sophisticated nature of Nigeria today, media practice should be wary of their content and the language with which those contents are reported.
He emphasized that media practitioners have a role to play through solution journalism to change the problems facing the country.
According to him, Conflict-sensitive journalism is being conscious of contents and manners that are capable of provoking ethnic, religious, and political passion and generating negative reactions, and working deliberately to avoid them.
He urged Reporters and Information Officers to analyze and fully understand all possible effects of their scheduled stories.
He advised journalists against dehumanizing people and violating their dignity with their stories.
“Sometimes, it is not what is being said, but how it is said: Conflict is 10 percent what we say, and 90 percent how we say it.
” When you respect and honor people’s dignity, you prevent conflict.
“To not harm, tell your story in a way to avoid negative, but maximize positive impacts.
On the political situation in the country, he advocated that political stakeholders should focus on programs that will promote unity in the country and avoid sentiments
“political actors should focus on character, credibility, and competence; the three C’s and less of Moslem Moslem, Christian Christian narrative, which fuel passion and make people start hating and attacking each other. This is what we are calling on the actors to do.
“We organize this workshop because of the forthcoming election. The election is generating lots of interest and enthusiasm among Nigerians. It has a high potential of generating electoral violence.
“The presidential candidates came from the three geopolitical zones. Atiku is a Northerner, Fulani, Tinubu is Yoruba, and Peter Obi is an Igbo. When you have candidates like these, if care is not taken, the campaigns will start to take the form of ethno-religious sentiments and narratives.
“And that’s why we want to start early before the campaigns start in October, according to the Electoral guidelines. We want to start to douse tension to avoid such possibilities from happening within that line.
“We want to start now to mitigate the conflict mode; that’s why we are training Journalists. When Journalists tow the path of mitigating crisis, there’s a likelihood of aborting such divisiveness and narratives along the ethnic lines and reducing the likelihood of electoral violence.
“Political players should call on their fans and supporters not to express ethnic sentiments so that it will not lead to religious, violent clashes.
He explained that When Public Office holders fail, their spokespersons should quickly mitigate negative outrage with a responsible, sensitive, and sensible response to the people” Chukwuezie emphasized.
Mrs. Victoria Ebere Eze, the Local Government area manager on State2State, and the Gender and Social Inclusion specialist, Ejiro Okotie, spoke on gender mainstreaming and objectivity in media reporting.
Mrs. Eze explained that the objective of the training was principally to equip journalists with the knowledge to use their reports in promoting peace and profer solutions and not to worsen issues.
Comrd. Tony Nwizi, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ebonyi State Council, in his submission, assured that media practitioners in the state shall always go for solution / developmental journalism.
He urged USAID-S2S, to expand the training and accommodate more journalists adding that It should come from time to time.
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