National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
TAYO OLANIPEKUN
Journalists have been urged to intensify their coverage of the agricultural sector with a view to making it attractive to the youths and reminding the government of the obligation to demonstrate more commitment to agriculture through the budgetary allocation.
Head of Oxfam GB Nigeria, Constant Tchona, who made the charge during the week at the opening of a training workshop for journalists, said this was necessary to boost food production and improve trade at a time the nation’s emphasis is on the diversification of the economy.
He said 10 per cent of the national spending is supposed to be set aside for agriculture as stipulated by the Malabo Agreement, to which Nigeria is a signatory, but expressed discontent that the country has not made provision for anything above 1.6 per cent in its annual budgets in recent time as investment in agriculture.
Tchona said Oxfam’s aims are to meet the needs of the vulnerable, welcome sustainable livelihood such as agric, promote improved gender relation and get citizens to be more actively engaging.
He therefore said to support Oxfam in delivering on the goals, “journalists should not go for alternative fact but the real fact” in the discharge of their duty as the training was aimed at making them improve on their coverage of the agricultural sector in ways that can influence government decisions.
This he said they could pursue by using the Freedom of Information Act to dig dip into the issues and bring them to the fore so that policy makers can take responsibility and make the country a better place for all to live.
Oxfam GB Policy, Research and Advocacy Coordinator, Abdulazeez Musa, who emphasized the need for the organisation’s partnership with the media, said the Oxfam is especially concerned about changing the attitude of the public towards women’s right as it concerns gender justice and good governance.
“Many men do not own land to farm in Nigeria, not to talk about women. Only about one third of arable land in the country is cultivated and food should be recognised as a right and not a need,” he added as he urged the media to harp more on the critical areas.
Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times Newspaper, Musikilu Mojeed, facilitated the program and encouraged the participants to always ensure that their reporting shows a good measure of investigation so as to always provide the public with accurate information.
Journalists from print, electronic and online media outfits including Leadership, Guardian, Nigerian Tribune, New Telegraph, Daily Trust, Silverbird TV, AIT, National Wire, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and others attended the training.
