NGE, Imo, UNICEF engage gatekeepers on Southeast, South-South challenges

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), in collaboration with UNICEF and Imo State Government, is organising a two-day workshop to strengthen the media’s role in driving regional development.

The programme, which will be held in Owerri, the Imo State capital, between October 23 and 24, according to a statement by the NGE President, Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, underscores the media’s vital role in spotlighting the socio-economic, political and environmental challenges in Nigeria’s Southeast and South-South geopolitical zones.

“The 50 participants at the workshop are senior editors and media executives drawn from print, electronic, and online media, alongside the Guild members employed by governments across the nine states of the Southeast and South-South zones of Nigeria.

“Faced with a complex set of socio-economic and environmental challenges, including high levels of poverty, infrastructural deficits, environmental degradation, and socio-political conflicts, we strongly believe that the media can play a vital role in mitigating the socio-economic and environmental challenges by raising awareness – informing the public about pressing issues; amplifying marginalized voices, and providing information on social services, policies, and programs’’, the editors added.

Commending the Imo State Government and UNICEF for collaborating with NGE on the project, the professional body of editors and media executives in Nigeria explained that the media’s impact on socio-economic and environmental issues is huge, which includes influencing public opinion and policy; mobilizing community action; providing a platform for marginalised voices; facilitating dialogue and debate and holding power holders accountable.

The workshop, which will be chaired by a renowned mass communication scholar and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Paul University, Awka, Prof Stella Okunna, will feature presentations by experts and stakeholders.