In a gesture aimed at ensuring transparent process during the 2023 general election, the United States (U.S) has allocated $50 million to train journalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and technical assistance, among others.
The Consul-General, Will Stevens, dropped the hint yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the opening of Election Reporting Workshop for journalists, which was organised by the West Africa Broadcast and Media Academy (WABMA).
Stevens noted that the U.S. has been working with partners through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to ensure every vote counts.
He said the U.S. will continue to emphasise the value of voting and protecting a free press.
The envoy said: “We’re committed to initiatives here in Nigeria to build needed capacity. We funded training for hundreds of journalists on topics ranging from fact checking, health reporting, defense and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting and media ethics.
“We really want to see a credible, transparent, peaceful election, which represents our will for the Nigerian people. We are encouraging people by funding the ballot process to encouraging people to vote.
“We want people to participate in democracy; they should feel like they have a stake in the democracy. That is why we are interested in training journalists so that when they read your reports, they should feel like they’re part of the Nigerian project.
“I’ll leave with the journalists with the words of one of my heroes, American investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett, who said, the smarter the journalists are, the better is the society will become.”
Former Dean of the School of Communication, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Lai Oso, who was a facilitator, said: “The training will provide journalists accurate information about the activities of all the political actors, parties, so that the average Nigerian can be well informed and be able to take the right decision when it comes to voting.”
