21 Apr Meet GMMP Nigeria Coordinator Nkem Fab-Ukozor
Name: Nkem Fab-Ukozor
GMMP Coordinator for: Nigeria
Since: 2005
Why are you a GMMP coordinator? What motivated you to lead the GMMP?
I have served as the GMMP national coordinator in Nigeria for 20 years, and it has been an exciting experience. My inspiration to pursue gender sensitivity and gender balanced reporting in Nigeria gave birth to the nongovernmental organization Media and Gender Enlightenment Initiative (MEGEIN), housed in the Department of Mass Communication at Imo State University.
Ever since its formation, our organization has collaborated with some media groups and corporate bodies in the country to find ways of redressing the anomaly through sensitization, advocacy, mobilization, research, education, and training. Hence, MEGEIN’s determination to effect a change in the persistent misrepresentation and insensitivity against women in Nigerian media news content aligns with the hallmark vision of GMMP.
How are you using the GMMP methodology, tools and findings? How have any of these dimensions of the GMMP shaped the work of your organization, institution or network?
So far, using the GMMP methodology in our projects has been a worthwhile experience. The design is apt, with its units of analysis and content categorization approach that remain clear-cut and free from all ambiguity. This is supported with a comprehensive coding guide that provides room for the training of more hands for GMMP exercise.
What positive change has the GMMP driven in your context? What contribution has it made to the process towards gender equality in or through the media?
In 2005 and 2010, the national reports of our GMMP findings were published and formally presented respectively to the government Ministries of Information/National Orientation, Women Affairs/Social Development.
The prevailing inflation in the country did not encourage the publication of subsequent national reports. However, some projects have been executed in Nigeria as follow-up to our findings, for instance, “Training Editors and Senior Reporters in Nigeria on the Skills of Gender Perspective Reporting,” “Training Women on Media Literacy and Economic Empowerment,” amongst others. Consequently, the outcomes have been remarkable!
The National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Owerri chapter, had hosted workshops for their members on gender perspective reporting as a follow-up to our training. Some senior journalists who have attended our training sessions have also published articles or produced programmes aimed at promoting gender justice in the country.
In addition, GMMP findings had in 2016 prompted an upgrade of our course outlines at the university for the teaching of gender communication and child rights reportorial courses. This was done in order to inculcate our students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the principles guiding the reportage of gender related and human rights issues.
It is my belief that there will be ripple effects of our outcomes, as we mark the 30th anniversary of GMMP now in 2025.
Prof. Nkem Fab-Ukozor is the founder and project director of Media and Gender Enlightenment Initiative (MEGEIN) at Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria.
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