Edo, WANEP Work To Promote Peacebuilding Journalism

The Edo State Government and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) have worked out plans to train journalists to promoting peace, security and peacebuilding for community development.
The Coordinator, Office of the First Lady of Edo State, Mrs. Anani Okpebholo, said the essence of the programme is to promote peace, inclusion, and meaningful opportunities for women and youths to contribute positively to the society.
Mrs. Anani Okpebholo, who was represented by Mrs. Amen Ajayi, stressed the vitality of sustained deliberations around peace, security, ethical reporting, and the role of women and youths in nation-building.
She said the media has become more powerful in the age of social media and rapid information dissemination, stressing that journalism can help build peace, while careless reporting may fuel tension and conflict.
The National Network Coordinator of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, Bridget Osakue, said the NGO was committed to promoting peacebuilding and conflict prevention across West Africa through various thematic programmes.
She stressed that the workshop was organised under the organisation’s Women, Peace and Security programme, which focuses on strengthening the role of women in peacebuilding.
Osakue added that the organisation’s Active Non-violence and Peace Education initiative targets young people in schools and vulnerable out-of-school children.
“What we do is to monitor the issues of electoral violence, those intimidations, those violence that happen during the course of elections,” she stated.
“Our flagship project is Early Warning and Human Security. What we do is to monitor issues of conflict around Nigeria. We have monitors across Nigeria and they report on a per-minute, per-second basis,” she said.
She added that reports generated through the monitoring system help in policy influence and quick response to emerging security threats.
“What we do is to do a situation analysis and begin to analyze what is happening for policy influence and then quick response,” she said.
The Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Eugenia Abdallah, urged media practitioners to embrace conflict-sensitive reporting and use their platforms to promote peace, unity and social inclusion in society.
She said the media remained one of the most powerful instruments for social change, stressing that the role of journalists in shaping public opinion and strengthening peacebuilding efforts could never be overstated.
“I commend the commitment of journalists and media professionals who continue to play critical roles in shaping public opinion, promoting social cohesion, and strengthening peacebuilding efforts within our communities,” she said.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said the Ministry would continue to support initiatives that advance peacebuilding and encourage the active participation of women and youths in governance.
Afegbua, who was represented by the Director of Orientation in the Ministry, Mrs. Rose Imonikhe, described the media as a vital instrument for social transformation and public enlightenment.
He averred that journalists play a strategic role in shaping public opinion and fostering peaceful coexistence, adding that the ministry was committed to supporting programmes that strengthen peace and inclusion across the state.
WANEP Programme Officer, Mary Nkifan listed the objectives of the training to include enhancing understanding of the women, peace and security and youth, peace and security agenda among media practitioners
She said the workshop also focused on tackling misinformation, addressing gender-based violence, and increasing the visibility of women and youths in peacebuilding initiatives, strengthening the capacity of journalists to apply gender–sensitive and conflict–sensitive approaches in reporting.