By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
The Nigeria Network of Peace Journalists(NNPJ) Commends CISLAC for a 2-Day Media Training on Early Warning and Early Response Reportage in Kaduna State.
Ibrahima Yakubu, the team lead of the Network of Peace Journalists (NNPJ), expressed his satisfaction regarding the recent concluded conference in Kaduna, that involves media outlets, non-governmental organizations, and civil society groups in the State,located in North-West zone of Nigeria.
The event, organized by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in Kaduna, was aimed to provide comprehensive training for various media organizations, Community Peace Observers (CPOs), and civil society organizations on early warning and early response (EWER) reporting. The objective was to effectively prevent conflicts within the State by applying the various techniques that helps to nip the indicators of conflict.
Yakubu emphasized the pivotal role that early warning systems plays in preventing crises and other conflict situations.
The training has helped to showcase on how as journalist, how to disseminate timely and precise information on the risk identified, furthermore the systems help to facilitate preparedness and swift response from response structures both at the community, local government area, State and at the national level.
This proactive approach can effectively mitigate human and economic loss, particularly in vulnerable communities around crop/livestock farmers and within communities in general.
Furthermore, these early warning systems contribute significantly to the realm of decent work, forming a vital component for occupational health and safety standards in communities that are prone to disaster.
The training substantially enhanced journalists' proficiency in composing peace journalism messages, while also nurturing a sense of patriotism among citizens.
The Team Leader also extends his gratitude to entities such as the Kaduna State Peace Commission, Interfaith Mediation Centre, Mercy Corps, and USAID for their consistent support in training and equipping journalists across North-West of Nigeria.
He buttress his point by saying that the joint efforts helps to directly addresses issues concerning peace and stability in the nation.
He underscored the indispensable nature of early warning systems for effective short-term preparation and responses during the initial stages of emergence of conflict and disaster.
Furthermore, the implementation of such systems significantly contributes to building resilience, bolstering the capacity to recover swiftly and minimizing vulnerability.
The journalists were also trained in managing news related to terrorism, banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, political, ethnic and religious motivated problems.
The efforts that led to the training acknowledged the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, and his dedicated team members all the way from Abuja who deem it fit to travel down to Kaduna to support, equip journalists and other stakeholders at the training with peace building skills.
A call for increased collaborative efforts aimed at organizing an annual peace conference in northern States of Nigeria was also emphasized all in the interest to build synergy and networking towards sustained peace in Kaduna and the country at large.
The Team Leader further proposed recognizing outstanding peace reports with awards to elevate the standards and motivation to other journalists.
He appeal to directed to all the State governors in the country to support peace journalism training, a measure crucial in combatting fake news and unqualified individuals in the journalism field.