2019 elections: US pledges support for credible process

The United States government has disclosed that it is dedicated to supporting Nigerians in ensuring that the 2019 elections will be transparent, credible and peaceful.

This assurance was given on Thursday by the United States Consul General F. John Bray at the 2018 World Press Freedom Day, organized by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General in Lagos.

Due to the important role the media is expected to play in the electoral process, Bray stated that the US Consulate Public Affairs team in Lagos led by Darcy Zotter is putting together an election reporting training for 100 political reporters and editors.

In his view, Bray said that when people don’t have the facts, they make them up and that creates unstable environments, rife with rumors, gossip and lies.

He therefore, advised journalists to make sure that the infamous development did not happen, saying that there is the need to provide information, researching, interviews and educating the electorate.

Bray said, “The people of Nigeria rely on your unbiased and accurate coverage of the campaign season and the elections. That is why your role is so important. As the 2019 elections draw near, the US Mission supports your efforts to provide objective and balanced reporting to the Nigerian people”.

On the training for 100 political reporters and editors, he said the training will be held in four cities across southern Nigeria, and will be co-facilitated by Voice of America’s Director of International Media Training and a renowned Nigerian journalism professor.

In addition to this, he added that the United States has worked with Nigeria to strengthen democratic institutions for decades and will continue to do so.

“Some of you may know that the US government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has assisted Nigeria with strengthening the elections process since 1999”.

“Working with Nigerian and international partners, the US Mission in Nigeria has also engaged diplomatically and publicly to prevent violence and increase accountability, contributing significantly to the goal of free, fair, credible, and peaceful elections in Nigeria”, Bray added.

In his presentation, former Chairman, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu while speaking on the topic: “Media and Transparency in Nigeria’s 2019 Election” said that despite Nigeria’s reputation for a vibrant and diverse range of media platforms and a raucous citizen sector, the country still have a long way to go.

According to Odinkalu, such situation poses a serious challenge to mechanisms of democratic governance in Nigeria, especially to the electoral process and its administration.

Giving suggestion on how the media can improve the process for the 2019 elections, Odinkalu proffered that the media could consider the pooling of resources in a Media Fusion Centre, which will be accessible to all media outlets.

Emphasising that Nigeria’s media needs to update its capabilities in data journalism, Odinkalu said “training and skills upgrading would be needed here and in this it can forge partnerships with peers outside the country with the help of international partners”.

According to him, consideration may also be given to agreeing with INEC, protocols on both proactive disclosure and access to collation, two aspects of transparency and election administration that have always been problematic in Nigeria.