By Matthew Tabe
As the countdown to the 2023 general elections begin, Mrs. Ladi Bala, the President, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has tasked women journalists to focus more on promoting women’s issues, gender inclusivity thereby discouraging gender marginalisation in the electoral process.
She disclosed this during a training workshop on the forthcoming general elections organised by the International Press Centre and the EU in collaboration with NAWOJ held in Abuja on Monday.
“The media as the watchdog of the society and the practitioners as information managers have a crucial role to play in the leadership recruitment process in our great nation.
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“The media and journalists must strive to get it right by setting the right agenda for gender inclusion and persons with disabilities in the process.
“As we all converge on Abuja, it is apt to point out that this is the second leg of the training in our deliberate determination to enhance the capacity of women journalists in Nigeria.
“The International Press Centre had earlier conducted similar training the first week in November, for women journalists in South-East, South-South, and South-West geo-political zones in Port Harcourt.
“This training is aimed at exposing participants to the effective tools for countering fake news, disinformation and misinformation.
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“It is a known fact that advancement in information technology and the emergence of several social media platforms have come with the challenges of disinformation, misinformation and fake news.
“My profound gratitude goes to the International Press Centre and funder of this training under the EUGDC project for investing in the building of strong democratic culture and institutions that enhance the conduct of a free, fair, credible and acceptable election in Nigeria,” she said.