The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has selected 21 female journalists to train them on identifying and reporting sexual and gender-based violence issues (SGBV).
Supported by the Open Society Initiative For West Africa (OSIWA), the annual fellowship tagged Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme (FRLP) which was launched in 2017, is aimed at equipping the participants with the skills, finesse, support and tools to position themselves for the highest leadership roles in their media houses as well their communities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the four-day training in Lagos, Motunrayo Alaka, WSCIJ’s chief executive officer (CEO), said “We noticed that there were very few editors-in- chief that were females in Nigeria. We saw that voices in news were mostly male. Women are scarce as sources of news and experts. We had to conclude that women were underrepresented and misrepresented.”
Alaka said this year’s theme which focuses on SGBV and criminal justice was specifically chosen because sexual violence against women has become a “pandemic which happens everywhere in the world”.
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She asked media houses to formulate policies to ensure women occupy a certain percentage of leadership position in the newsroom.
Joseph Amenaghawon, a representative of OSIWA, said the beneficiaries are expected to apply skills acquired from the training in their daily job.
Cecilia Bolaji Dada, Lagos state commissioner of women affairs and poverty alleviation, represented by Abimbola Badejo, pledged her “commitment to the well-being of our women”.
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Beneficiaries of the programme include Bolanle Olabimtan, Abimbola Adegboyega, Adetola Bademosi, Aneta Felix, Anita Eboigbe, Ann Godwin, Blessing Tunoh, Bukola Samuel-Wemimo, Chioma Ezenwafor, Dooshima Abu, and Ibizugbe Osaruonamen.
Others are Ikpang Bassey, Imaobong Dem, Jennifer Ugwa, Khadija Bawas, Kimberly Nwachukwu, Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, Magdalene Michael, Temitope Oluleye, Titilope Fadare and Zainab Sanni.
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