At least 40 media practitioners in Edo State benefited from a two-day training workshop on conflict-sensitive reporting organized by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).
The workshop, held between Thursday and Friday in Benin City, focused on “Women, Peace and Security (WPS)” and “Youth, Peace and Security (YPS).”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training aimed to equip participants with the skills to report conflicts without escalating tensions and to promote peace through responsible media practice.
WANEP Programme Officer, Mrs Nkifan Owo-Akbor, said the WPS and YPS agendas were critical to protecting vulnerable groups.
Owo-Akbor said limited public awareness of the agendas made it necessary to train media practitioners.
“We believe the media are at the forefront of ensuring this work is done properly.
“Having media personnel attend this training is also a way of taking these agendas to the public,” she said.
Owo-Akbor also noted that the Edo Action Plan on WPS had remained unsigned for more than five years.
She expressed the view that increased media coverage would help raise awareness and encourage greater support for the plan.
“This will help vulnerable persons, especially women, understand that there are policies designed to protect them and uphold their rights,” she said.
According to her, the WPS agenda emphasizes participation, protection, relief, and recovery.
She added that WANEP had continued to strengthen peacebuilding efforts through its thematic areas, including early warning and early response.
Owo-Akbor further stated that the training aligned with the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
She said the programme was designed to improve journalists’ capacity to report accurately, avoid sensationalism, and contribute to peace and stability in conflict-affected communities.
Speaking on state adoption of WPS Action Plans, she said fewer than half of Nigeria’s 36 states had localized the framework.
“Last I checked, 16 states had adopted their plans.
“Niger recently joined them, while Edo has yet to do so,” Owo-Akbor said.
In her remarks, the Edo Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Eugenia Abdallah, urged participants to use conflict-sensitive reporting to promote peace, social cohesion, and the inclusion of women and youths in peacebuilding processes.
The commissioner acknowledged that the media remained a powerful tool for social change.
Abdallah, represented by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Daisy Osunde, said stories, language, headlines, and images could either promote peace or deepen tensions.
She therefore urged the media to act as agenda setters, educators, watchdogs, and development partners.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Office of the Governor’s Wife, Mrs Edesili Okpebholo-Anani, called on participants to use their media platforms to promote peace, inclusion, and accurate reporting.
Okpebholo-Anani, represented by Mrs Amen Ajayi, said the media played a vital role in shaping public opinion.
She added that the media could either help build peace or escalate tension through the stories they tell and the language they use.
She described the workshop as timely, given the speed at which information spreads on social media.
“In an era where almost anyone with a smartphone can make content go viral, engagements like these are extremely important,” Okpebholo-Anani said.
She reaffirmed the commitment of the Office of the Governor’s Wife to promoting peace, inclusion, and opportunities for women and youths.
The Chairperson of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Edo Chapter, Habiba Sam, commended WANEP for organizing the training.
Sam assured WANEP of the chapter’s support and readiness to collaborate on initiatives that promote and support women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.
She called for sustained engagement to strengthen the role of the media in advancing peace and security.
It was reported that the workshop brought together journalists, other media practitioners, and peacebuilding stakeholders to discuss journalism, peace, security, and the role of women and youths in society.
