Sightsavers has urged journalists to strengthen accountability reporting on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), eye health and social Inclusion to promote government commitment and protect the rights of vulnerable groups.
The organisation made the call during a panel session at a two-day media workshop for journalists in the North West, held in Kano State, to strengthen their capacity to report on health, disability inclusion and development issues.
Sightsavers Country Advocacy Coordinator Esther Bature urged journalists to move beyond reporting event activities and interventions to investigate funding gaps, examine policy implementation, and highlight the experiences of affected communities.
She encouraged journalists to engage Sightsavers for relevant information, data and access to sources when developing stories on the organisation’s areas of intervention.
On NTDs, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Abdulsalam Muhammed said nearly 99 per cent of investments in interventions in Nigeria came from foreign aid, warning that declining donor support could undermine previous investments.
Muhammed said millions of dollars had been invested in medicines and other interventions over the years, but governments needed to demonstrate greater ownership through domestic resource mobilisation.
“Donors are increasingly demanding government commitments and counterpart funding before releasing resources to support NTDs programmes.
“Journalists should investigate government budgetary commitments, track funding for NTDs interventions and report how reduced investments could affect the affected communities,” he said.
Similarly, Fabian Tukmen, Senior Finance and Logistics Officer, who spoke on Inclusion, urged journalists to report disability as a rights issue rather than a charity concern.
The speaker stressed that persons with special needs had the right to quality education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities, just like other Nigerians.
The representative advocated inclusive education, where children with special needs could learn alongside their peers without disabilities from primary school.
According to the speaker, separating children with special needs into special schools could reinforce stigma and negatively affect their confidence and self-esteem.
The representative also called for improved teacher training to support inclusive learning environments.
Tukmen noted that although several policies existed to promote disability inclusion, implementation and compliance remained inadequate.
Some journalists who participated in the workshop described the engagement as impactful, saying it had improved their understanding of inclusive reporting.
Abubakar Mukhtar of Caliphate Radio and Television, Sokoto, said the workshop had broadened his knowledge of reporting development and Inclusion issues.
Mukhtar said interactions with experts and other journalists helped participants understand challenges affecting vulnerable groups and appropriate ways to report them.
Similarly, Ladan Nasidi, Assistant Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria, Kano, said the workshop had improved his understanding of inclusive reportage.
Nasidi said Sightsavers offered to connect journalists with relevant sources and interviewees to support accurate, comprehensive reporting.
Also, Sahura Maidoki of Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) said the workshop had changed her approach to reporting disability issues.
Maidoki said she had learnt to put the ability of Persons with Special Needs first when writing stories, rather than defining individuals by their conditions.
She said she would apply what she learned to improve her future reports.
