WOLE SOYINKA CENTRE FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM ENGAGES PREMIUM TIMES ON IN-HOUSE- TRAINING FOR JOURNALISTS

The Editorial Management Consultant, Nigerian Info, Rotimi Sankore, during the session spoke on gender inequality that is pervasive across the nation, as well as on the main reason for the security crises rocking the nation which he attributed to forced marriages imposed on young girls in parts of the country.

His words, “the main catalyst is the violation of girls and women because soldiers that have been gifted to Boko Haram were created out of gender inequality. The violation of women’s rights and obligations include serious sexual violations’.

The Consultant added, “It is important that we underline this because the media is the mirror of the society, the media amplifies, it educates. If the media misses it, everyone misses it’,noting that, forced marriage is the ‘main peak’ of all gender issues and “thus there is the need for it to be tackled”.

He added, “forced child marriage is the ultimate canceller, it cancels all human rights, your right to assembly, to association, to freedom of expression, to political participation, everything goes. Gender is connected to everything, that is why it is really important to all those issues,” .

“So please after this, I am sure there are many things to consider in terms of gender training, many to consider from the Human Resources point of view. How do we make it easier for our women colleagues (media) to show that they are competent as our male colleagues? We are in PREMIUM TIMES and I know that it is going to happen (change in gender policy). Unlike in some places, it is like pushing a car without fuel.”

Penpushing also reports that, Adeolu Adekola , who is the Senior Programme Officer of Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), , recalled that  the centre, as a Non-Governmental Organisation started in 2005 and got registered in 2009 as Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, adding that, the centre  has trained over 600 journalists.

The Senior Programmed said, ‘the Report Women’ is a project of the WSCIJ, which was launched in 2014 in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Embassy, with the goal of increasing women reportage’.

The coordinator of the centre, Motunrayo Alaka, in her vote of thanks expressed appreciation to the journalists for attending the training, stating that her expectation is  to see an appreciable change in gender policies from the organisation going forward.

Penpushing also reports that,  Assistant Managing Editor, Premium Times, Bisi Abidoye , in his remark thanked the organisers for the training with a pledge  that the training would be integrated into the newsroom operations and aspects of it communicated to the management.