Broadcast Practitioners Engage on Contemporary Issues in the Nigerian Electoral Process

Broadcast Practitioners Engage on Contemporary Issues in the Nigerian Electoral Process

Thirty carefully selected broadcast practitioners and two seasoned facilitators with extensive experience in media and the electoral process gathered in the nation’s capital for a transformative two-day workshop. The event, themed: “Engagements on Dealing with Contemporary Salient Issues in the Electoral Process,” provided an unparalleled learning experience. The participants, chosen for their expertise and potential,

Thirty carefully selected broadcast practitioners and two seasoned facilitators with extensive experience in media and the electoral process gathered in the nation’s capital for a transformative two-day workshop.

The event, themed: “Engagements on Dealing with Contemporary Salient Issues in the Electoral Process,” provided an unparalleled learning experience. The participants, chosen for their expertise and potential, delved into critical discussions aimed at enhancing their understanding and capabilities in navigating the complexities of modern electoral issues. The workshop’s impact was profound, leaving attendees with invaluable insights and strategies to apply in their professional endeavors.

Dr. Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director, the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) in his welcome address said the facilitators and participants are gathered to engage an important subject within the media component of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance (EU-SDGN) Phase 2 Project adding that the media component seeks to achieve an important objective: that the media provide fair, accurate, inclusive and credible coverage of the electoral process.

Hear him: “The activities within this component are expected to help deliver results such as the strengthening of professionalism of media practitioners; enhancement of the capacity of professionals to deal with electoral misinformation and disinformation; strengthening capacity to deepening and diversify the delivery of civic and voter education; enhancing the capacity of the broadcasting industry regulatory body, so it can appropriately deliver on its mandate; and focusing the media to engage inclusivity, that is, to champion the active participation of frequently marginalised or under-represented groups such as women, youths and persons with disability (PWDs) in the electoral and broader democratic process.

According to him, the two-day engagement seeks to interrogate what is happening in the context of deepening and diversifying the delivery of civic and voter education (CVE).

“The plan is to look critically at the issues which have been thrown up, particularly following the conduct of the 2023 general election and even the off-cycle governorship elections that have been scheduled for 21 September 2024 and 16 November 2024, and generate ideas for media engagement of these issues for improved conduct of future elections”, he said.

Dr. Akingbulu who noted that the role of the media is crucial in improving the conduct of elections in the country said the educational role of the media must be relentlessly performed to strengthen electoral policy and practice and also post-election governance.

“This is essential for nurturing our democracy. The situation of the media is similar to that of a person who has put his/her hand on the plow there can be no looking back. And in looking forward, the media must continue to demonstrate by insisting that the democracy we envision and are building is one that is truly: of the people, by the people, and for the people of Nigeria to engage”, Dr. Akingbulu stressed.

Speaking on how the engagements have been structured, Dr. Akingbulu said: ” It is arranged in a manner that features several methods. We will listen to Expert deflections we will listen to, and engage with an extract reflection of the expert’s reflection as well as an analysis of data (from our media monitoring work) on media performance on coverage of the electoral process. Then, we will engage specific issues that have emerged and are crying for improved engagement in the electoral process. We will work in planning, panel, and hybrid sessions. We will collate our ideas into a plan for CVE, going forward”.

In his presentation titled: “Towards Improved Electoral Practice in Nigeria: Examining Contemporary Salient Issues for Media Engagement “, Prof Samuel Egwu, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Benue State said Electoral Management Body (EMBs) and the media have a common interest in fostering electoral governance and bolstering public trust and confidence in the electoral process.

According to him, the media is a democracy enabler; providing citizens with critical information that informs their choice between the different policy options presented by parties and candidates in elections, and to inform their overall judgment about the quality of governance.

“In addition, the media helps foster the accountability of EMBs to stakeholders and citizens to elicit more public confidence for the EMBs”, adding that INEC has since 2011 initiated a communication policy to guide its communication within and with external stakeholders in particular “.

Prof. Egwu said the policy has helped to guide the dissemination of information regarding electoral information to citizens; voting procedures, complaints, and redress mechanisms; and voter education across electoral processes and cycles adding that the policy also provided the Commission to respond to the challenges posed by the social media in the age of fake news.

Speaking on progress made in Nigeria’s electoral democracy, Prof. Egwu said a plethora of evidence that elections have improved; electoral cycles since 2011 show improved credibility as elections tend to approximate the “will of the people”; and have become very competitive because of transformation in the party system induced by FPTP electoral system; there has been an alternation of power at both national and sub-national levels and the resolution of the political succession; and gradual internalisation of the culture of elections.

He said the Commission has leveraged on transformation and its incremental adoption to infuse greater public confidence in the electoral process.

On promoting diversity and inclusive election (gender), Prof. Egwu lamented that the Continued maginalisation of women in elective positions and decision making structures in Nigeria remains a deficit for her democracy.

“Only 157 women have been elected into the legislative houses in the last 24 years;that is 38 Senators and 119 members of the House of Representatives(HOR). In the countdown to the 2023 general election ,only 9.8 per cent of the Aspirants secured the ticket to run,and only 78 women (5.2%) of those who contested won.

According to him, a combination of factors – ideology of patriarchy, cultural and religious beliefs (some smuggled into our legal norms) and weak economic power account for the low level of representation of women.

Dr. Nik Dazang, a retired INEC Official who lamented the decline in voter turnout during past elections said delivery of good governance has also declined.

He commended CEMESO for carefully selecting the participants made up of government, commercial or private and community electronic media, said the big radio stations are as important as the small ones adding that : “community radio are impactful. They take your message to the remotest areas”.

Speaking on Election Security, Mr. Dazang who said security is paramount in an election stressed that security agents escort INEC officials to transport materials from storage areas to PUs and on election days.

In its Media Monitoring Report, it was revealed that government media had more balanced reports before the 2023 general elections than commercial or private stations while commercial or private stations had more balance than government media after the elections.

The report also monitored the use of extreme language which was more in commercial or private stations than government owned stations, report of women, Youths and PwDs stressing that broadcast stations paid more attention to the three leading political parties.

Mr. Williams Osewezina,an IT expert, cautioned media houses to brace up for the reality of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) stressing that journalists must up their game.

Specifically, he said media managers should establish Disinformation Desk in their news rooms to check use of fake videos and cloned materials adding that even reputable media houses like the BBC have a desk specifically designed for the role.

Mr. Timothy Bamidele, one of the organisers of the engagement speaking on the capacity and capability of AI warned that fake content could be created to dazzle newsmen stressing that it is a serious issue that needs to be given more attention:” if you are not careful as a journalist,you will be in trouble”.

Journalists, he said , should be diligent, careful and painstaking while working on stories and videos stressing that fake content move faster.

Speaking on how she has used her position in the newsroom to push the cause of People with Disabilities (PwDs), Hadjiya Zainab Saidu Abdulnaseer, Deputy Director News,NTA Sokoto National Centre said she always tell her reporters to find out whether Assistive devices were provided.

She said in most of the Polling Units, Assistive devices were not provided for PwDs but after the elections INEC officials will claim they had it but the PwDs never asked for it.

Hadjiya Abdulnaseer who called on the electoral body to make conscious and deliberate efforts to assist PwDs to perform their civic rights said it was not enough to make the Assistive devices available at Polling Units,they should be dispayed.

Mr. Ufuoma Egbamuno, News Manager Cool FM,Wazobia FM and Nigeria Info FM said he always direct his reporters months before the elections to monitor how the electoral body was attending to PwDs.

Mr. Egbamuno,also a PwD, said there was no need to shut down the country because of election stressing that efforts should be made to make Nigerians vote from the comfort of their homes and offices.

All is Well that Ends Well.

At 6:30 pm when the curtains were drawn on Thursday , both facilitators and participants felt the engagement was a worthy and worthwhile effort.

Prof. Egwu ,Dr. Dazang and Dr. Akingbulu commended participants for the positive energy displayed throughout the two – day programme said their comportment is commendable.

Responding on behalf of the broadcast media practitioners, Ms Jacqueline Adebija thanks CEMESO and the resource persons for the quality of their presentations which she described as top-notch.

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