The National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos speaking to students about UN peacekeeping operations

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos marked the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers with a visit to a Lagos school on 4 June 2009.

The National Information Officer and the Reference Assistant visited the Fountain Heights Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos, to screen UN videos on UN peacekeeping and to have a dialogue with students. Following the Secretary-General’s message for the Day read by the National Information Officer, the videos on peacekeeping entitled "In the Cause of Peace" and "Courage for Peace" were shown to over one hundred students and teachers.  The Reference Assistant made brief presentations on this year’s theme of the Day “Women in Peacekeeping.” A lively question and answer session followed the video presentation.

Participants at seminar commemorating World Press Freedom Day

A seminar to commemorate World Press Freedom Day 2009 was held at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos on 4 May 2009.  It was jointly organised by UNIC Lagos and Media Rights Agenda (MRA), a media non-governmental organization (NGO) which is one of UNIC Lagos' partners.  It brought together scores of media owners, media managers, editors and other media professionals as well as representatives of civil society and other stakeholder groups to discuss the theme:  “The Role of the Media in Fostering Dialogue and Mutual Understanding between the Government and the People.”

It started with the UN Secretary-General’s message for the Day, in which he reiterated the central importance of the right to freedom of expression and the need to protect journalists and media outlets on the frontlines of exercising it.

Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda, made opening remarks, which were followed by a keynote address by the chief guest, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, Special Adviser to President Umaru Yar’Adua on Communications.  In his speech, Mr. Adeniyi explored the theme of the conference. Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Coordinator of the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, led the discussions on the presentation and on the freedom of the press.

The participants from the media thereafter discussed issues related to media practice and capacity in Nigeria, particularly the role of media in governance and development, key elements of effective media monitoring of government, independence, quality and reach of the media as well as the relationship among the government, the media and the people.

The conference ended with the adoption of a statement that encouraged the smooth two-way flow of information between the government and the people, transparency in governance as well as free access to information.

In the statement, participants acknowledged the need to improve their own knowledge about a wide range of issues to equip themselves to be able to correctly assess critical issues when they have dialogues with the government.   They also urged the media to take a broader view of government as against the present narrow approach which tends to focus excessively and disproportionately on the executive arm.  They called on the media to pay greater attention and scrutiny to other arms of the
government as well.

The statement stressed further that the government should provide appropriate funding and necessary infrastructure for the media establishments it has created to function efficiently and effectively.  It underlined the importance of ensuring information dissemination at the grassroots levels, especially in rural communities, as these sectors of society were often deprived of effective access to the media and critical information.

Furthermore, the participants emphasized the need to adopt new technologies in media practices, including upgrading the capacity of mass communication and journalism training institutions to provide training for students on the use and application of these new technologies.

Participants at International Women's Day forum

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos and the Women’s Optimum Development Foundation (WODEF) held an interactive forum entitled "Ending Violence against Women and Girls" in Lagos on 9 March 2009 to commemorate International Women’s Day.

The event, which was organised as part of the United Nations system activities to commemorate the Day in Nigeria, brought together top film producers and actresses, representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and frontline non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on women issues, secondary school students from Lagos and the media. Among the special guests  at the event were Mrs. Kate Henshaw-Nuttall, a popular Nigeria film actress, and Mr. Kingsley Obom-Egbulem of the Manhood magazine, who gave a presentation on ending violence against women.

Participants looked critically at the numerous perspectives on the issues of how violence against women and girls affect society and how best to strategically resolve the challenges. They also looked at the possibilities of using the film industry as a medium to address the problems. It was highly recommended that filmmakers shift their focus to providing positive endings to stories produced on the topic of violence against women. Participants were challenged, in a short activity during the event, to suggest positive conclusions for short movie clips screened at the event.

At the end of the dialogue, participants agreed that more discussions on the issues should be held on a regular basis.  It was also agreed that stakeholders should intensify efforts to expand the public space for advocacy, networking and fund-raising to create more awareness and encourage investment in the empowerment of women and girls in Nigeria.

UNIC Lagos' Reference Assistant briefs students at St. Bernadette's school on the United Nations

During the months of January and February 2009, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos visited four schools to brief students on the work of the United Nations.

On 14 January, UNIC's National Information Officer and Reference Assistant visited the Police Children’s School in Ikeja, Lagos, to explain the work of the UN and of the UN system in Nigeria to approximately 160 children aged 9–12 and their teachers.

On 23 January, the Flowers of Sharon Nursery and Primary School, Lagos, was the venue for the briefing by the National Information Officer and the Reference Assistant.  Approximately 50 children between 8 and 11 years of age attended this special class with their teachers.
 
On 24 February, the Reference Assistant and the Director visited St. Bernadette School in Lagos to discuss the UN’s work.  Approximately 110 children aged 10–11, the head teacher and his colleagues were briefed. 
 
On 27 February, the National Information Officer and the Reference Assistant visited the Police Children’s School, Idimu, Lagos, and briefed approximately 200 children of a similar age group (9–11).