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IPC Hosts Media Dialogue & Stakeholders’ Interface on Credible Edo Governorship Election

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IPC Hosts Media Dialogue & Stakeholders’ Interface on Credible Edo Governorship Election For immediate releaseLagos, Nigeria – July 3, 2024 The International Press Centre (IPC), based in Lagos, Nigeria, is convening a Media Dialogue and Stakeholders’ Interface to address mechanisms for guaranteeing credible conduct of Edo State Governorship Election in September this year. The dialogue and interface are part of ongoing efforts to ensure that the media is Fair, Accurate, Ethical, and Inclusive in its coverage of elections while other stakeholders also perform their role creditably. This initiative, slated for July 4 and 5, 2024, in Benin, Edo State, aligns with the goal of Component 4: Support to Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EUSDGNII) project funded by the European Union. The principal aim is to ensure that all relevant stakeholders fulfill their responsibilities diligently, so that the Edo governorship election can be devoid of violence, disinformation and misinformation with the people being able to freely make informed choices. The first day’s sessions will, among others, focus on identifying priority issues for Edo citizens in the elections, early warning indicators of possible violence, key points for civic/voter education and how the media can report fairly, inclusively and accurately. The discussions will also be framed within the EUOM recommendations aimed at enhancing media performance during elections, guaranteeing the integrity of information, and aligning with regulatory frameworks such as the Electoral Act, Nigeria Broadcasting Code, and Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage. On the second day, meetings will be held with key institutional stakeholders including the INEC Resident Commissioner for Edo State, the Edo State Police Command, the Civil Defence Corps, etc. The meetings will emphasise shared responsibilities and the cultivation of cooperative partnerships to protect journalists, promote peaceful elections, and enhance public understanding of voting and counting procedures. Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of IPC, in a statement said: “We expect that this intervention will promote meaningful dialogues and strengthen commitment towards hitch-free Edo Governorship election. The event is expected to attract about 50 stakeholders among who shall be male and female political reporters and other journalists from the Print, Broadcast and Online media who will be on duty during the governorship election. For media inquiries or further information, please contact: Olutoyin AyoadeCommunications OfficerComponent 4 (Support to Media)EUSDGN II Projecttayoade@ipcng.org

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IPC HOLDS STAKEHOLDERS’ ROUNDTABLE ON THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN DEEPENING DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY: PRESENTS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN PROMISES & LAUNCHES MEDIA AND ELECTION APP

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PRESS RELEASE IPC HOLDS STAKEHOLDERS’ ROUNDTABLE ON THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN DEEPENING DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY: PRESENTS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN PROMISES & LAUNCHES MEDIA AND ELECTION APP For Immediate Release: Monday, June 19, 2023 80 delegates will converge for a one-day engagement on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, to delve into the role of the media in deepening democratic governance in Nigeria. The roundtable will feature a lead presentation by Dr. Otive Igbuzor, founding Executive Director of African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) on “Beyond The Rhetoric Of Campaigns: The Role Of Citizens and The Media In Ensuring Democratic Accountability”, which will be followed by contributions by a lead discussant and a plenary discourse. The event, to be chaired by Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, Senior Fellow at Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and chairman of the editorial board of Premium Times and attended by Mr. Tunde Rahman, Media Aide to the president, as guest participant will additionally spotlight President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promises. The documentation of the promises, which cuts across several development indicators, were part of the benchmarks of IPC’s media monitoring on the coverage of the 2023 electoral processes across ten national print and ten online news mediums. Representatives of the media, the government, CSOs, development partners and international community will share ideas on frameworks and mechanisms ensuring democratic accountability as part of the event. IPC shall also launch its recently developed IOS and Media Election App through which hundreds of  journalists and other media professionals, the academia, researchers, etc., would be able to download the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage and have easy access to the content. The European Union funded resource publication has been widely endorsed and over 20,000 copies have been distributed across the Country. In a statement, the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade said: “ IPC have been supporting the media for more than a decade for the purpose of professionalism in the coverage of the democratic processes and elections and it is expected that this event would lead to the development of collaborative strategies for greater impact”. “The gathering is also important because the fulfillment of campaign promises is at the core of democratic accountability”, he added. The meeting is facilitated by the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria implementing partner with the Institute for Media and Society (IMS) within component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria-Phase II (EUSDGN II) project. The specific objective of the EU funded media component is to ensure that, “The Media, including New and Social Media, provides fair, accurate, ethical and inclusive coverage of the Electoral Process”. SGD: Olutoyin Ayoade Communications Officer Component 4 (Support to Media) EUSDGN II Project tayoade@ipcng.org

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AHEAD 2023 ELECTIONS, IPC BEGINS TRAINING OF MEDIA MONITORS

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PRESS RELEASEAHEAD 2023 ELECTIONS, IPC BEGINS TRAINING OF MEDIA MONITORSFor Immediate Release: Friday 23, September, 2022 12 Media monitors started a two-day training at the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, today Friday September 23, 2022, to prepare them for the monitoring of the coverage and reportage of the electoral processes and the 2023 elections by the print and online media. The essence of the 18-month monitoring that will commence on October 1, 2023, is to assess the level of compliance with professional and ethical standards by newspapers, including online ones, being selected for the exercise. Among others, the monitoring will be done within the context of the expectation of the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, which spells out the responsibilities expected of journalists and other media professionals at elections. The Media Election Code was endorsed by umbrella media professional bodies and associations, and close to 300 individual media outlets in 2018. It enumerates what journalists and media management should do to ensure social responsibility and integrity; equitable access for parties and candidates; media access for disadvantaged groups including women, persons with disability and youths; conflict sensitivity and the avoidance of hate speech.The training of the monitors is one of the activities under component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria-Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project, being implemented by IPC, along with its partner, the Institute for Media and Society. The overall goal of the media component is to “Support the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria with the media (broadcast, print and online media) helping to facilitate the key ingredient of credible elections through engagement and professionalism in coverage and reportage of the electoral processes.”The specific objective is to ensure that, “The Media, including New and Social Media, provides fair, accurate, ethical and inclusive coverage of the Electoral Process.” The two-day training , the first day of which is being facilitated by Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and Mr. Sanmi Falobi, Project Manager of IPC, aims to build the skill of the monitors on the processes and methodologies of media monitoring. They will be introduced to the philosophical basis and technicalities involved in media monitoring, the outcome of which shall include agreement between the project implementation team and the monitors on the topics, the qualitative and quantitative indices, the standards for assessing/analysing media reportage, and the coding system. The monthly findings and outcomes of the monitoring shall serve as instruments of engagement with journalists and media managers to address identified gaps and agree on measures for improvement.“Against the background of the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation especially by political actors, all we are seeking to achieve is for the Nigerian media to contribute to the credibility of electoral information before, during and after the 2023 elections”, said the Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade. SGD:Olutoyin AyoadeCommunications OfficerComponent 4 (Support to media)EUSDGN II Projecttayoade@ipcng.org

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IPC, MRA Issue Call for Entries for National FOI Awards to Honour Individuals, Organizations Advancing Right to Information

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The International Press Centre (IPC) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) hereby invite entries from individuals and organizations in Nigeria for their 2021 National Freedom of Information (FOI) Awards. The Awards form are part of activities to commemorate the 10th year anniversary of the signing of the Freedom of Information Bill into Law by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 and are being organized with support from the European Union through component 4b: Support to Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Project. The Awards will recognize and reward individuals, organizations and public institutions that have made significant contributions towards the advancement of the right to information in Nigeria as well as in ensuring the effective implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011. There will be four categories of awards as follows: a) Individual Category: An individual that has made the highest number of requests for information under the FOI Act to public institutions or private entities to which the Act applies, between May 29, 2015 and October 31, 2021. b) Organizational Category: A news organization, any other type of organization, company, association, institution, group, or other types of corporate entity that has made the highest number of requests for information under the FOI Act to public institutions or private entities to which the Act applies, between May 29, 2015 and October 31, 2021. c) Public Institutions Category: A Public Institution FOI Best Practice Recognition will be conferred on a public institution adjudged by the organizers and the panel of judges to be most responsive to requests for information from members of the public under the FOI Act and that has adopted innovative and access-friendly practices and procedures to ensure public right of access to information in Nigeria. d) Special Recognition: A special recognition Award will be given to an individual adjudged by the organizers and the panel of judges to have made a substantial and lasting contribution towards advancing the right to information in Nigeria over the last 10 years. GUIDELINES FOR ENTRIES Individuals CategoryIndividuals who wish to participate in this category should send scanned acknowledged copies of their FOI requests or other proof of the FOI requests that they made between 29 May, 2015 and 31 October, 2021 to the organisers. The person adjudged to have made the highest number of requests will be identified and honoured at an FOI Award ceremony to be held in Abuja later this year. A copy of every FOI request made which the individual entering for the awards seeks to be included in his or her FOI requests count must include or contain proof of delivery of the request,such as acknowledgment of receipt of the request by the public institution or other entity to which it was made or proof of delivery by a reputable courier company, etc. Organizational CategoryAny news organization, other type of organization, company, association, institution, group, or any other type of corporate entity that wishes to participate in this category should send scanned copies of acknowledged FOI requests or other proof of the FOI requests that they made between 29 May, 2015 to 31 October, 2021 to the organisers. The entity adjudged to have made the highest number of requests will be identified and honoured at an FOI Award ceremony to be held in Abuja later this year. A copy of every FOI request made which the entity entering for the awards seeks to be included in its FOI requests count must be made on the entity’s official letter-headed paper and must include or contain proof of delivery of the request, such as acknowledgment of receipt of the request by the public institution or other entity to which it was made or proof of delivery by a reputable courier company, etc. Entries should be sent by email to: foientries@ipcng.org with “National Freedom of Information Awards (Organizational)” or “National Freedom of Information Awards (Individual)”, as the case may be, on the Subject line. The deadline for submission of entries is Sunday, 31 October, 2021. Entries must be received no later than 12.00 midnight (WAT) on that date. All entries received will be assessed by a panel of independent judges. Prizes will be awarded to the winning entry and the First Runner-Up in each of the categories. The winner and the First Runner-Up will be invited, with their travel expenses paid, if necessary, to an award ceremony, which will take place in Abuja on Friday, December 10, 2021. The winner in the Public Institutions category, that is a public institution adjudged to be the most responsive to requests for information from members of the public under the FOI Act and that has adopted innovative and access-friendly practices and procedures to ensure public right of access to information in Nigeria, along with the First Runner-Up in this category, will also be recognized and honoured at the award ceremony. No entries are required for this category. During the Award ceremony, a special recognition Award will also be conferred on an individual adjudged to have made a substantial and lasting contribution towards advancing the right to information in Nigeria over the last 10 years. No entries are required for this category. For enquiries or further information, please send an email to: admin@ipcng.org.

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