By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has organized a three-day training workshop for journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State. The workshop, which started on Monday and will conclude on Wednesday, aims to enhance the capacity of the media and civil society organizations (CSOs) in non-kinetic approaches to fighting insurgency in Nigeria’s North East zones.
The event is being held at the Forshams Event Center in Maiduguri, in collaboration with RANLAL Global Services Limited. The Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Kashere Gombe, Professor Umar A. Pate, is serving as the Lead Resource Person.
Other resource persons include Professor Mu’azu Abubakar of Mass Communication University of Maiduguri and Dr. Nathaniel Damjibo of University of Ibadan. Dr. Muhammad kudu Abubakar is the Lead Consultant and Facilitator.
The workshop covers various topics, including conflict-sensitive reporting, investigative journalism techniques, media engagement for policy influence, and the role of media in reconciliation and reintegration. Participants also engaged in group work on media, CSOs, and government collaboration.
Earlier, the NEDC’s Head of Corporate Services, Abba Musa, said the North East Development Commission’s decision to host a three-day workshop for select journalists and civil society organizations was a strategic move. This effort according to him aims to enhance the capacities of journalists and CSOs in the region’s post-insurgency recovery phase ¹.
“These two entities have played indelible roles making sacrifices that have supported not only the NEDC in the actualisation of it’s mandate but the entire North East stabilization process that has brought us to where we are today.
“This Training workshop by the NEDC and it’s partner on Non Kinetic approach to ending the insurgency is not something new but a refresher to scale up our efforts of working together in the provision of humanitarian support, Economic interventions, provision of Social amenities and the Overall rebuilding process that is gaining momentum driven by NEDC , the affected states and other critical stakeholders .
Represented by NEDC Strategic Communication Manager, Miss Naomi Abwaku, he said the major objectives of the training workshop was to equip journalists and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote peacebuilding, harmonious co-existence and its sustainability as accordance with the North East Stabilization and Development Master Plan of the NEDC.
He added that the partnerships will no doubt promote the Commission’s mission through publicizing the successes and impacts of North East Development Commission (NEDC) interventions nationwide or even beyond.
Abba recalled that the Commission had in 2022 organized a refresher workshop for Journalists covering the NEDC and members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists NUJ in the North East region on Conflict and Sensitive Reporting as well as empowered them with working tools to conduct their trade.
“This is to keep them in tune with fast changing technology driven world of journalism as the North East region of Nigeria has been plagued by conflict, leading to humanitarian crises, displacement, and economic devastation.
“While kinetic approaches have been employed to address the conflict, non-kinetic approaches that focus on peacebuilding, partnerships, and community engagement are equally crucial in promoting sustainable peace and development,’ Abba said.
He noted that the training brought together 100 journalists and CSOs from the six states of the North East region to learn about non-kinetic approaches to ending conflict, pointing out that out of the total number of 100 participants, 20 participants are staff of NEDC Corporate Services.
Abba maintained that the training marks a crucial step in promoting peacebuilding, partnerships, and community engagement in the North East region, stressing that, by empowering journalists and CSOs with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote non-kinetic approaches to ending conflict, we can work towards a more sustainable and peaceful future for the region.
“I urge the participants to listen attentively , contribute and share ideas as we strive to raise the North East from the ashes of conflict and poverty”, he said.
