By Chris Onuoha

The Voice of Women Radio awards initiative tagged: ReportHer Award 2023 took center stage in Lagos last week, when journalists and media practitioners who have distinguished themselves in the course of giving women adequate visibility in their reportage, were celebrated with a number of winners emerging in the listed categories.

The programme hosted by the Women Radio, WFM 91.7 Fm, in collaboration with UNWomen, Canadian Government and Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism, WSCIJ with focus on gender balanced reportage, heralded an era of rewarding excellence for those pushing women agenda in the polity through the media.

According to Toun Okewale Sonaiya, the Chief Executive Officer, WFm 91.7 Radio:  “Nigeria still has a male-dominated media industry with the majority of media owners, decisionmakers and editors, being men. But we are witnessing an increase in media visibility on female-centric issues.”

She went further to note that in almost 8 years of championing this cause with the support of some partners, that she has seen the positive impact by the media and journalists in female reportage. “The collective and deliberate effort of the media is changing female narratives, altering stereotypes and closing gender imbalances and we are experiencing more visibility and reportage of women. This led to the ReportHer Awards, an initiative of Women Radio in partnership with Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism –WSCIJ with support from UN Women and the Government of Canada,” she said.

She mentioned that the ReportHer Awards will continue to celebrate and acknowledge the media, adding that every media  organisation that has supported and continues to do more is celebrated for committing to achieving a 50-50 reportage of both men and women.

She also commended the commitments from Nigeria media in reporting women and charged them to do more to actualise the dream of giving women adequate visibility in every sphere of life.