Nigeria’s fight against corruption and injustice would only be successful if the importance of women’s voices and leadership were recognised, says Ogun State former Governor Olusegun Osoba.

He said this in Lagos on Thursday at the celebration of the Report Women’s 10th anniversary and Experts Source Guide Presentation, organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mr Oshoba, a governor between 1999 and 2003, called for more women in leadership and their voices given more attention in the media, politics and society.

“For too long, we’ve overlooked the voices and leadership of women; yet, we can’t tell the story of our nation, nor can we fight the battles of injustice and corruption if we silence half of our population,” said Mr Osoba.

He added, “Women as leaders bring nuance, empathy, and strength to storytelling. I have consistently advocated for more women to be present and lead in our newsrooms.”

The 75-year-old, who said he is still a reporter, commended the efforts of the Report Women Programme, which he said has established itself as a platform bringing more women into the profession, thereby making their voices heard and bridging the gap in the coverage of women’s activities.

“With over 500 female experts now readily accessible to journalists, this guide will make it easier to ensure that the voices shaping the news reflect the diversity of our society. It is a significant advancement in giving women the platform they deserve,” the former governor stated.

Mr Osoba, who unveiled the Report Women Experts platform at the event, called for strong action against untrained journalists tarnishing the profession’s image.

“I want to also appeal that we should note those journalists who are not trained, who are giving us very bad, terrible names, who are writing fake news, and that is one of the challenges we have, to make sure that we all move on to the internet and pack them thereby creating credible, reliable, sustainable news items on the internet so that we can continue to keep the names of we journalists and fight those who are trying to destroy the profession with fake news and embarrass us every day,” Mr Osoba stated.

On her part, the public affairs officer at the United States Consulate, Julie McKay, stated that women journalists have been thriving in the media and other leadership positions in the U.S. and appreciated the organisers for trying to replicate the same in Nigeria.

Ms McKay, who believes that women in leadership positions promote gender balance and reflect positively in all sectors of society, emphasised the importance of training and mentorship for it to be attained.

Stressing the importance of journalism, the U.S. Consulate PRO urged journalists to write reports that promote gender balancing as well as women as leaders and experts.

Speaking virtually, the president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Chris Isiguzo, commended the WSCIJ for their efforts in getting women’s voices heard in the last ten years.

Mr Ozigizor also lauded the unveiling of the Report Women Experts platform, which aimed to provide easy access to over 500 junior experts across sectors, including politics, crime, and security.

The executive director/CEO of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, said the objective of the programme is to improve news access and quality as well as address abuses relating to women and the girl child.

“The Report Women! programme holds news media leaders accountable for the gap between equality and equity in the newsroom and their duty to hold other authorities accountable, ensure human rights and fair representation and amplify the voices of the vulnerable for good governance, democracy and social justice,” she stated.