The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development, in collaboration with the International Press Centre (IPC), has called on Nigerian journalists to adopt more gender-sensitive approaches when reporting women seeking or holding public office ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call was made during a three-day reflection meeting and interactive session on media coverage of women in public leadership, held from 16 to 18 September at Moremi Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The programme, themed “Reporting on Leaders: See Her, Hear Her, Cover Her,” examined the challenges women face in political leadership and the role of the media in shaping public perceptions of female politicians and public officials.
Speaking at the event, Noella Ngunyam, representing the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center, challenged journalists to examine the different standards often applied to men and women in public life.
She questioned why the marriages, children and family lives of women leaders frequently become subjects of media scrutiny, while similar issues are less prominent in coverage of their male counterparts.
Data presented from the EJS Center Data Hub showed that women currently hold 15 of the 356 seats in the House of Representatives and four of the 107 seats in the Senate. No woman currently serves as governor of any of Nigeria’s 36 states, while women occupy eight of the 48 ministerial positions.
During a fireside chat on “Covering Women in Public Leadership,” Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, challenged the media to reflect on its contribution to the visibility of women in leadership.
“What have we done as a media to project the women?” he asked.
Arogundade said gender-sensitive journalism should involve more than simply including women in news reports. He said women should also be recognised and covered as decision-makers, experts and people who wield political and institutional power.
Mrs Modupe Alake, Executive Director and CEO of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, called for increased visibility for women in politics and proposed the creation of a comprehensive database containing information about women in public leadership, including their profiles and constituencies.
She observed that only a limited number of female lawmakers had attracted sustained public attention for speaking out on national issues, citing Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan among those who had received significant coverage.
Online abuse and women in public life
The second day of the programme examined the challenges women face in public and digital spaces, with particular attention to online abuse, harassment and gendered attacks.
Kathleen Ndongmo, Head of Digital at News Central TV and the session’s lead facilitator and moderator, highlighted online attacks involving Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili and activist Aisha Yesufu.
Ndongmo cited a CableCheck investigation which documented the reach and engagement of several social media posts targeting Akpoti-Uduaghan. One post containing an unsubstantiated allegation against the senator reportedly attracted 181,800 views, 1,100 likes, 560 comments and 259 reposts.
She also referred to a Facebook post describing Akpoti-Uduaghan as having “beauty without brain”, which reportedly generated more than 144 comments and about 100 mocking reactions.
According to Ndongmo, Ezekwesili has similarly faced online attacks, including derogatory references to her personal life and comments targeting her physical appearance.
Yesufu, she added, has also been subjected to trolling, dehumanising imagery and smear narratives.
During a panel discussion on “Issues and Perspectives on Women Leaders in Public and Digital Spaces,” Simbiat Bakare, founder of Naija Feminists Media, said online abuse directed at women could extend beyond the targets themselves and affect their families.
Bakare urged media organisations to collaborate more closely in reporting women’s stories, while encouraging journalists to verify information, provide context and avoid framing women in unnecessarily negative ways.
Mrs Melony Ishola, Head of Programmes at Punch Videos, described leadership as a challenging and often lonely journey and called for greater solidarity among women.
“A lot of men would not do everything for us. As women, we have to come together and support each other,” she said.
Calls for practical changes in newsrooms
The final day focused on practical measures that journalists, editors and content creators could adopt to improve the representation of women in public leadership and reduce gender bias in media coverage.
Editors were encouraged to ensure greater balance in news reports, use gender-sensitive framing, develop clear editorial policies on gender, train more female editors and strengthen quality-control procedures before publication.
Journalists were urged to prepare sources adequately, ask questions relevant to public office and policy, work with women’s organisations and avoid sexualising women in leadership positions.
Participants said coverage should instead focus on women’s responsibilities, policies, achievements, records and contributions to public life.
Content creators were also encouraged to develop house styles that apply fair standards to men and women, increase the use of female experts, avoid degrading language and imagery, and conduct adequate research before producing content about female politicians.
The three-day programme ended with a call for journalists, editors and content creators to make deliberate changes to their daily practices and contribute to more balanced, accurate and gender-sensitive coverage of women in public leadership as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections.
