JOURNALISTS UNDERGO TRAINING AHEAD OF FEB 23 ENUGU LG POLLS

REPORTER: CHRISTIAN NWANGENE

The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), an implementing partner of the European Union, has expressed its determination to build capacity of journalists in election coverage, emphasizing that media are critical stakeholders in any democratic experiment.

The Project Coordinator of ECES, Mr. Hamza Fassi-Fihri, stated this in Enugu during a Media Roundtable ahead of the 2022 Enugu State Local Government Election.

Mr. Fassa-Fihri said that the training was aimed at ensuring effective coverage of the exercise.

He pointed out that the training was part of the mandate of the foundation aimed at providing technical assistance and guidance to Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) around the world.

The Project Coordinator said that the centre had been working in Nigeria since 2017 as part of the European Union – Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project.

He said that the project was dedicated to supporting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in Nigeria.

“This is the first of a series of workshops, which will be delivered upon Enugu SIEC’s request and ahead of the upcoming local government election in the state.

“Experience shows that there is no democracy without free media and there is no free media without committed journalists.

“This is why it is so important to constantly invest efforts in training journalists, supporting their professional development and keeping their knowledge up-to-date,” he said.

Mr. Fassa-Fihri described elections as key moments in the democratic life with a lot of challenges, risks, pressure and sometimes, threats and violence.

He said that reporting on sensitive contexts, like elections, required a high level of professionalism, starting with a thorough knowledge and understanding of the process.

He described the training as a great opportunity to discuss the electoral process in Enugu State with the election managers.

“We hope that this occasion will also contribute to building stronger bonds between the SIEC and the media toward a stronger local democracy in Enugu,” Mr. Fassa-Fihri said.

Responding to questions on the possibility of deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the February 23, 2022 local government election in the state, a Commissioner in Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Mr. Solomon Udeh, explained that the Commission had no plans to deploy the machines.

Mr. Udeh said that the non-deployment of the device was due to the issues of logistics and finance.

According to Mr. Udeh, one of the logistics of election is finance and the usage of the device is not captured in the commission’s budget.

“One of the logistics of election is finance and it has not been captured in our budget,” he stated.

The Commissioner, however, assured the stakeholders that the usage of BVAS would be deployed in subsequent local government elections in the state.

Also, another Commissioner in Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC), Mrs. Bernardine Ezugwu, said that the electoral umpire was poised to deliver a transparent election on February 23, 2022.

Mrs. Ezugwu said that over eight political parties had registered to participate in the polls.

She commended the foundation for organising the training, which she said would improve the effectiveness of the media and electoral umpire in the election.

The centre, which is a not-for-profit foundation. has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

The training is organised in collaboration with EU-SDGN partners, the Albino Foundation and the Nigerian Women Trust Fund.

Participants at the round table were 40 journalists drawn from the electronic, print and social media in the state.