Members from the Academia, Media and civil society organizations have called for the production of media guidelines that would cover the needs of people living with disabilities, especially in election coverage.
The people made this known during a validation exercise conducted by the Institute for Media and Society under the European Union’s support for Democratic governance in Nigeria.
The exercise was aimed at ensuring that persons with disability are adequately captured by the media.
In a remarks, Dr Gbenga Fasiku of the department of philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife said there was wide gap in the reportage of People living with disabilities in Nigeria, hence the need for media’s support to this segment of the society.
Similarly his counterpart from the University of Ilorin, Dr Saudat Abdul-Baqi noted that media engagement and advocacy would achieve a wider coverage of People with special needs in Nigeria if given adequate reportage.
Also, Dr Ganiyat Tijani-Adenle of the Lagos State University was of the view that the media was pivotal to the shaping of societal perception and attitude towards people living with disabilities.
On his part, the Founder, Albinism Foundation, Jake Epelle said the media should assist in raising advocacy for people living with disabilities to be voted into political positions.
In his submission, the Executive Director, Institute of Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu described the media as a major stakeholder that needed to assist in creating space for persons with disabilities, through the projection of their issues in a positive perspective for equal participation in political and electoral processes.
Olufisoye Adenitan
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