Port Harcourt- A two day capacity building training on factual reportage organized collaboratively by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for journalists and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the South-South geopolitical region kicked off today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with the call to practitioners to jettison disinformation and embrace peace.

The two day workshop running from November 7-8, 2022, which aims to boost reportorial skills on conflicts sensitive reportage, 2023 general election and countering fake news, witnessed the robust cross fertilization of ideas by participants which helped to pinpoint possible setbacks on the use of technology, 109 days to the 2023 national elections in Nigeria at the Swiss Spirit Hotel and Suites, venue of the training, even as INEC built confidence despite highlighted challenges, stating that even in the face of a stampede leading to the fall by a bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) machine, the system keeps working due to its backup mechanism boosted by the capacity of its dry cell batteries to run for two days at a stretch.

In his welcome, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), for INEC, Rivers State, Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem who incidentally assumed office today, said the series of trainings by INEC are, “Pragmatic road maps towards ensuring deliverance of free, fair, credible and acceptable elections for sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.”

Mr. Damian Ihekoronye who represented the Director, CDD, Mr. Idayat Hassan, mentioned the issue of fake news and the need to ensure participants are sensitive to the environment in their reportage so as not to build layers of discord in society.

The Rivers State NUJ Chairman, Comrade Stanley Job Stanley observed that, “For someone to come out to say that they will sweep the poll before elections and it happens casts doubt hence the need for INEC to deliver on its mandate while journalists should avoid sensationalism.”

The NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo in his keynote presentation which focused on, “Role of media in the conduct of peaceful election,” observed that despite the belief by politicians that election is a do or die affair there was need to disabuse this mindset.

This he said brought the need for, “Media Professionals to brainstorm ahead of the election year so as to prepare ourselves very well for the onerous task ahead. The 2023 Nigerian elections will be held, in large part, on 25 February and 11 March 2023. The President and Vice President will be elected on 25 February…there will also be elections on the same day for the Senate and the House of Representatives. On 11 March, twenty-eight gubernatorial elections will be held alongside elections to state houses of assembly in all the 36 States of the Federation.

“Peace Journalism/Conflict Sensitive and Election Reporting is key In whatever we do as Journalists. It is very necessary to take the issue of peace as a cardinal point and take into consideration the need to be careful so that areas that are already fragile do not explode or implode. Peace is a basic requirement in a democracy. No democracy can flourish in the absence of peace.”

He nonetheless frowned at the prevalence of hate speech and fake news in society which he informed must be cut down for this will assist immeasurably in dousing tension in the polity.

The training programme which was highly interactive in nature encouraged the dissemination of information through the use of mainstream and new media for societal good.