Faith for Peace project (F4P) co-funded by the European Union and Bread for the World implemented by TEKAN Peace Desk in Gombe State, and Centre for Community Actions for Peace and Development in Nasarawa State on Tuesday, trained Gombe media personnel on how to be sensitive in reporting conflicts without necessarily causing tension.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the project aims to empower local actors in promoting peacebuilding, human rights democracy and religious tolerance in Nigeria from April 2023 to October 2025.
Speaking, Helen Haggai, TPD Coordinator, noted that so far three Local Government Areas have been selected and two communities under each are benefitting from the organisation’s project intervention, adding that the LGAs include Yamaltu Deba, Billiri and Kwami.
Haggai, while explaining the Desk’s reason for choosing Gombe, disclosed that the despite being peaceful there was need to avoid conflicts from occurring in the future, stressing that the knowledge garnered would be used to tackle it if it happens.
She said, “There are seasoned men and women who have being writing reports over the years however, they have to be very sensitive when they write reports that have to do with conflicts because we all know that conflict is a very sensitive matter and so they have to be very sensitive when they cover conflicts reports.”
On the make up of participants, Haggai added, “In this meeting, we have people from different works of life, we have media men who are coming from government organisations and also from private sector so is a convergence of all. Like i said earlier, we have meetings and engagements with different stakeholders arm forces, civilians etc is actually multi stakeholders meetings at the state level, local government level and is for strengthening democracy and Gombe State at large.”
She disclosed that the project aims to reach 600,000 persons, adding that so far more than half of the target have been reached, “Our target is 600,000 and they will include those who listen to us in the television, radio and on social media. it will include all of them so far so good we’ve reach half of the target and we just spent a year and we have about a year and six months remaining,” Haggai added.
She added, “If the number overshoots the target is a plus to us, we are within the financial budget and we are working with the budget and we have been consistent with the budget however, if it reaches more than the number that is required so be it.”
On his part, Dr Garba Ubale, lauded TPD for bringing journalists together to educate them as a form of refresher, stressing that journalism as a profession demands some level of intellectual skills
Ubale who is a visiting lecturer at North-Eastern University facilitated on ‘Getting it wrong: Case study conflict sensitive reporting and Constructive approaches: Case study, Best practices for conflict sensitive journalism’, noted that no society has immunity to conflict, especially human beings.
He said, “Is part of life is just like food and water everyday one must eat food and drink water before we can survive likewise conflicts, like i said there’s conflict within your mind so conflict is natural so what TEKAN did today was to help us know the do’s and don’t as far as the issue of covering conflict is concerned.”
Ubale while encouraging journalists on reporting conflict sensitive issues said “You must see yourself as human being first and those who fall to be in the midst of conflicts are also human beings. It is your responsibility that you should do the best to save their lives and make the society better for you and them in the midst of the conflicts.”
“You should ask yourself do you have a family? What are the measures and the strategies you are suppose to take first to make sure that you also remain alive so that your community and your people will continue to get the best out of you and i think is the key element that has been taken out of this conference,” Ubale added.
