Former Ogun State Governor Aremo Olusegun Osoba emphasized on Thursday that Nigeria cannot successfully combat corruption and injustice if women’s voices continue to be suppressed. He expressed concern that women’s leadership and voices have been neglected for too long.
Osoba made this statement in Lagos at an event organized by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Report Women! Programme and the presentation of the Experts Source Guide.
As the event’s chairman, Osoba highlighted that women bring unique qualities such as empathy, nuance, and strength to leadership and storytelling. He stated that for Nigeria to progress, it must involve women in various sectors, including media, politics, and society.
“We have overlooked the voices and leadership of women for too long. We cannot tell the story of our nation or fight injustice and corruption if we silence half of our population,” Osoba said. He also advocated for greater female representation in newsrooms and praised female journalists such as Margaret Ekpo, Hilda Ogunbanjo, and Doyin Abiola for their contributions.
Osoba applauded the Report Women! Programme for its role in addressing the imbalance in media coverage of women’s activities. He also praised the Report Women Experts Source Guide launch, which provides over 500 female experts to journalists, ensuring diverse perspectives in the news.
Julie McKay, Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate, noted that the US government supports women’s leadership because it advances democratic governance and fosters economic growth. She also called for increased media coverage of women’s leadership roles.
The President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, commended the achievements of the Report Women! Programme over the past decade. The Executive Director of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, stated that the program was initiated in 2014 to address the lack of quality news on issues affecting women and girls.
Alaka explained that the program has trained reporters, conducted media monitoring, and hosted stakeholder roundtables to promote newsroom equity and hold leaders accountable for the fair representation of women and vulnerable groups in society.