Stakeholders in Nigeria have called for the participation of more women in the Media industry
They made the call during the 10th anniversary of the Wole Soyinka Centre For Investigative Journalism(WSCIJ) in Lagos state.
The event x-rayed the underrepresentation of women across newsrooms.
The Chairman of the occasion, Olusegun Osoba, tasked the media to showcase women as both subjects and storytellers.
The former Governor of Ogun State, noted that women have been relegated to be background for so long in the media space and in the society at large, while demanding an immediate reversal of the trend.
Osoba eulogised Yetunde Makanju, late Oluremi Oyo, Funke Egbemode and Bunmi Sofola, for their immense contributions to the pen fraternity.
Meanwhile, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo MFR, noted that the female expert’s source guide would readily provide Nigerian media with the tools needed to further bring more women on board to lend their voices to national discourse.
For his part, Kabir Alabi, Vice President (West) of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, admitted that the source guide would be a game changer as it would bring more women to the discussion table which is key in achieving balanced reporting.
Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO WSCIJ, affirmed that connecting journalists to female expert guides would improve the visibility of women in the newsroom and strengthen the overall quality and depth of journalism in Nigeria.
She acknowledged the strides of the 86 fellows of the Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), having risen to leadership positions after their fellowship.
Alaka revealed that data from the United Nations shows that it will take 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions and that the Global Media Monitoring Programmes (GMMP) says it will take 67 years to close the average gender equality gap in traditional news media.
She expressed gratitude to funders and partners for their continued support, reaffirming their commitment to driving further progress in the years to come.
The Programme Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dickens Olewe, commended Motunrayo Alaka for her initiatives of making the Report Women work and the WSCIJ’s efforts the envy of others while commending WSCIJ for sustaining the programme over the last decade.
Funke Fayemi, co-chair of Report Women Network (REWON), expressed gratitude to WSCIJ for the opportunities in the Report Women Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) Fellowship which provided fellows for career growth.
Michel Deelen, Consul General of the Netherlands, and Julie McKay, the Public Affairs Officer at the United States Consulate, both highlighted the global problem of women’s underrepresentation in the media, stressing that it takes deliberate and sustained efforts to address it.
Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, Executive Director of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), Chinyere Okunna, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Paul University, Awka, and the first female professor of Mass Communication in West Africa, expressed concern over the perennial gender imbalance despite the many years of work in gender equality.
Representative of the Head of editorial Operations, at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ijeoma Popoola, highlighted the importance of sharing success stories of women to inspire future generations while Amina Salihu, Deputy Director of the MacArthur Foundation affirmed that marginalised voices, especially women should be heard.
The highlight of the event was a documentary which showcased the giant strides of the Report Women programme in the last ten years.
Bimbo Oloyede, Chief Executive Officer, Strictly Speaking; Prof.Abigail Ogwezy-Ndisika, Director of the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), University of Lagos (UNILAG); Lanre Idowu, Chief Executive Office/Editor-in-Chief Diamond Publications; Lekan Otufodunrin Executive Director Media Career Development Network; and Stella Din Jacob, Editor-in-Chief TVC News were also in attendance.
Others were students of Yaba College of Technology, UNILAG, Lagos State University (LASU), Babcock University, Adekunle Ajasin University and Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto Deen Master Schools, Keystone College, Kuramo Senior College and interns of the Media Career Development Network and Voice of Nigeria.
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