Stallion Times has on Saturday trained 30 journalists on Human Rights and Social Inclusion in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The one-day training workshop is part of a series of training for its Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project tagged “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP)” being implemented in Kano and Kogi States under the Collaborative Media Project (Collaborating for media independence and government accountability), funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
In his welcome address, the Editor-in-Chief of Stallion Times, Isiyaku Ahmed, said the objectives of the training were to make journalists appreciate conditions for gender equity and social inclusion in society, to advocate for human rights and social inclusion through news coverage, and to promote human rights and social inclusion in the state.
In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser, Media to Kogi State Governor, Ismail Isah assured that Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, would not deviate from promoting human rights and social justice.
“The Governor is resolved to cushion the effect of the rising cost of foodstuffs, poverty, and inflation, adding that the state government is not unmindful of the challenges of cost of living in the society owing to the economic downturn.
“The present administration would rely on dialogue mechanism which will include the involvement of different stakeholders, community members, traditional and religious leaders in delivering good governance to the people to sustain its peaceful status,” he added.
Hon. Isah solicited the support of the media in propagating the efforts of the present administration in all aspects of development.
The facilitator of the training, Theophilus Abbah, a Media expert, lamented the slides on gender representation and disparity since the advent of the current democracy and urged the media to be on the front burner in propagating issues that will change the sad narratives.
He urged for the use of stories, features, opinion sampling, and interviews amongst others to promote human rights, with gender equity, in governance and representation as a priority.
Also, Stella Edoka, the Chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Kogi State Chapter, urged journalists to bring to the foreburner issues of human rights and social inclusion in society.
The one-day training enables journalists to have an understanding of collaborative media engagement for development, inclusion, and accountability.
