European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) has trained officials of the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) and some journalists on the proper conduct and coverage of the state local government elections, scheduled for October 6 across the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one-day training, in partnership with NASIEC, was conducted in Lafia on Monday with several officials of the commission, media officials from the broadcast, print, online and social media influencers in attendance.
NAN reports that the training which has in attendance about no fewer than 60 media practitioners is focused on election management, administration, conflict management, media and communication.
In his speech, Mr. Hamza Fassi-Fihri, Project Coordinator, ECES, said the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) had agreed to organize the training because of its belief in the importance of local government elections as they are reputed to be the closest to citizens’ realities and needs.
“In order to ensure a vivid local democracy, the election process is key. We are proud that NASIEC requested our technical assistance to support them in this electoral process, ahead of the October 6 local elections,” he said.
He explained that the training is dedicated to discussing aspects of election administration, media and communication which, according to him, are the core business of any Electoral Management Body (EMB).
“The objective of the session is to go through some general concepts and consideration around best practices on election administration, institutional communication and see how these can be applied in the upcoming local government election.
“More importantly, our goal in the long run is to offer you all an opportunity, as election officials, to take a step back, think of your specific roles within the electoral process and sow seeds for a deeper reflection, post-election, when you will draw lessons and prepare for future elections,” he said.
Fassi-Fihri added that the presence of the press at the training is key as it offers them the opportunity of learning more about activities around an electoral event, understanding the processes and steps it entails to be best informed on the electoral and EMB constraints and context of operations, particularly ahead of the state local government elections.
“The fact that electoral officers are also in the same room will offer the opportunity for exchanges and mutual understanding as key stakeholders in the electoral process.
“We believe that a better understanding of the organization of elections by the press and a sustained dialogue between the EMB and informed journalists will contribute to a higher transparency and hence lay the ground for building more credible elections,” he said.
In his welcome address, Mr. Ayuba Wandai, Chairman of NASIEC, appreciated ECES for organizing the training and fully funding it.
He said the training focused on election management, administration, conflict management, media and communication will go a long way to impact on the participants’ useful knowledge on how to conduct and cover the upcoming local council polls.
He explained that the electoral body recognizes the importance of training critical stakeholders involved in the management of elections, hence the involvement of journalists in training so they can have the capacity to give objective and in depth coverage of the electoral process.
“Journalists as you all know are known for reporting events that take place before, during and after an election day. The degree of accuracy of their reports can make or mar the credibility of an electoral process,” he said.
In an interview, Mr. David Odama, a participant and Correspondent of Vanguard Newspapers in the state, lauded the training which he described as rewarding and educative and called for the training to be sustained.
“Journalists needs this kind of regular training to update and arm them with knowledge of the electoral process to carry out their professional work objectively,” he said. (NAN)
