Last weekend, Nigerian journalists were celebrated for their commitment to reporting women at the maiden edition of ReportHer Awards, which took place in Lagos.

Executive Director, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunrayo Alaka, noted that the award came at a critical time in Nigeria’s history.

She challenged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to aim for more than 35 per cent of women in his cabinet and other appointments like heads of agencies, boards and parastatals.

She also emphasised on the need for the media to champion gender-balanced reportage that would enhance the development of both the industry and the country.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Women Radio 91.7FM, Dr. Babatunde Okewale, thanked the media for the progress made so far in reporting women’s stories.

UN Women country representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, also thanked media organisations for advancing the rights of women and girls in Nigeria through their reports.

She noted that stereotypes about women birthed the need for UN Women to address the near seclusion of the gender in national affairs.

Eyong acknowledged the media as active shapers of perception, saying they must be intentional in giving prominence to women-related issues to change the narrative.

“If we do not achieve gender equality and empowerment, we cannot achieve sustainable development goals,” she said.

At the event, AriseNews won the Television category as the TV station that reported women more and gave prime space to women. BluePrint Newspaper won in the Print category, Voice of Nigeria won the Radio category while Techcabal won the Digital (online) category.

Titilope Fadare of Premium Times emerged the ReportHer Journalist of the Year. She was given a scholarship to train at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in the United Kingdom courtesy of UN Women and the Government of Canada.

Africa Director, MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Kole Shettima, highlighted the importance of the awards, saying it was meant to celebrate media organisations committed to gender and social inclusion.

President, Women in Politics Forum, Ebere Ifendu, thanked the media on behalf of women, stressing on the need to change stereotyped reportage of women, which she said was a challenge for women in politics.

Director-General, National Broadcasting Commission, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, commended the initiative, saying women must be empowered to be part of the developmental process of Nigeria.

Ilelah also noted that the awards would prompt journalists to produce more gender-balanced reports.

Executive Director, WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, stressed on the importance of women in the development of the country. She thanked UN Women and the Government of Canada for their support to Nigeria.

Vice-chair, Channels Media Group, Olusola Momoh, represented by Joke Rogers, commended the initiative. She also emphasised on the importance of supporting the cause of women, saying they contribute immeasurably to the growth of every nation.

Lanre Arogundade, who spoke on behalf of the panel of judges, revealed that the selection period was March 2022 to March 2023.

He said the criteria for selection included the informative nature of the entries, ethics and professionalism, social responsibility of journalists on the female gender reportage, the extent to which women were used as news sources and the 50-50 representations of women in everyday stories.