The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has reaffirmed its commitment to building a more enabling environment for journalists reporting Nigeria’s electoral processes.

This pledge was made by the Executive Director of IPC, Comrade Lanre Arogundade, on Friday in Kano, during a high-level engagement with editors and publishers of online media organizations, held as part of efforts under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EUSDGN) program.

Speaking during the meeting, Arogundade said the goal was to strengthen the capacity of journalists, especially in areas such as countering misinformation, promoting under-represented groups, and enhancing civic and voter education.

“The essence of our gathering is for us to collectively address how we can create a better environment for journalists to report elections more effectively,” Arobunade said.

 “This includes promoting the voices of youth, women, and persons with disabilities, while also tackling misinformation that can spark electoral violence.”

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According to him, the decision to focus on online media stakeholders stemmed from previous evaluations which revealed that many journalists, despite their efforts, lacked sufficient support from their newsrooms. “Reporters have complained that even though they do their best, the enabling environment is not there. That’s why we’re speaking directly to the operational leaders—the editors and publishers,” he explained.

SolaceBase reports that IPC also used the occasion to secure commitments from media leaders in areas such as increased fact-checking, better training for reporters, and improved coverage of female political candidates, notably in the ongoing House of Representatives by-election in Jigawa State.

Arobunade expressed satisfaction with the turnout and the quality of conversations. “I’m impressed by the openness with which we discussed today and the enthusiasm from editors and publishers to improve electoral reporting,” he stated.

He noted that several participants acknowledged having reporters who require additional capacity building, particularly on election coverage, fact-checking, and the use of the Freedom of Information Act.

While praising the progress made, the IPC director emphasized that the engagement would not be a one-off. “This is going to be a continuous process. There will be further interactions, both physical and virtual, to follow up on commitments and ensure meaningful change in media practices.”

Speaking during the meeting, the publisher of Nigerian Tracker, Abbas Yusha’u emphasized the need for the training and retraining of journalists on election coverage.

He also urged journalists to make good use of the knowledge acquired during the engagement to enhance their reporting skills.

Also speaking at the meeting, SolaceBase representative, Aliyu Inuwa Mansir, encouraged journalists to focus on follow-up stories regarding electoral promises, noting that many commitments are made by politicians during campaigns.

He added that, “It’s not just election reporting that matters—holding politicians accountable for the promises they make is equally important.”