Stephen Enoch
Media Practitioners and Civil Society Advocates in Kano State have been urged to build a better society by effectively using social media.
The call was made in a one-day training workshop titled “The Effective Use of Social Media”, organized by Stallion Times with support from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the MacArthur Foundation.
The training which took place at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Center Conference Hall on Saturday was focused on enabling the 40 participants to match the current technical advances in the digital realm.
During his welcome address, the Editor in Chief of Stallion Times, Isiyaku Ahmed stated that the event centered on expanding the skills of both media and civil society advocates to enable them to shape the society and boost development through the effective use of social media.
He pointed out that the world has become digitalized, therefore, it is important to utilize social media to create and share compelling content that will engage the target audience and create an impact on society.
“Journalists and CS Advocates can collaborate by coming up with compelling social media-related content to drive change at the state and grassroots levels in society.
“While creating content for social media, it should not be sensational or one which can create chaos in the society just like what happened in the Rwandan Genocide and Arab Spring.
“Use the social media to create advocate to duty bearers for the common good of the society.
“The Media and CSOs need to be bold and confident in reporting issues that need urgent attention,” Isiyaku emphasized.
Isa Ali, a Digital Forensic Research Scholar who facilitated the training challenged Journalists and civil society advocates to develop compelling content by using new, emerging tools and applications, to promote good governance, transparency, and accountability in government.
“Having gone through this training, Media and CSOs can tell stories of the marginalized and those whose voices need to reach those at the helm of affairs in the government and create an impact in the society.
“They can also use these social media skills to debunk fake news and hate speeches and make the society a better place. They are also expected to hold the government accountable to the people for the betterment of the society,” He said.
Yahaya A. Yahaya, the Chairman of the Kano Chapter of Persons with Physical Disabilities (PWDs) stated that the training came at the right time.
He pledged step-down the training and utilize the skills to speak for the PWD community in Kano.
“I will use the skills I have learned to fight against the discrimination of PWDs and share the content on social media for wide coverage.
“I also urge Stallion Times to keep advocating for the rights of PWDs as they have always done,” he added.
The training on the ‘Effective use of Social Media for CSOs and Journalists’ is a part of Stallion Times activities in year 2 of its 3-year Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project dubbed “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP)” in Kano and Kogi States.
