By Anan Geolengs
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has appointed the FCT Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, as Focal Point in Nigeria for the project “Monitoring and Reporting on the Safety of Journalists in Africa, with a Specific Focus on Gender.”
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the FCT CDPRO, DSC Monica Ojobi.
According to the statement, the appointment followed Odumosu’s participation in a three-day regional training workshop held in Entebbe, Uganda, in November 2025.
The workshop brought together 30 participants from Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. They included journalists, civil society representatives, law enforcement officers and legal experts from the Pan African Lawyers Union, PALU.
Participants reviewed the “online observatory” developed to monitor and track attacks against women journalists in Africa, and made recommendations to strengthen its functionality and coordination among key stakeholders.
The training was organised by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, IAWRT, and funded by the Government of Netherlands through UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication, IPDC.
It formed part of the second phase of the project tagged “Applying Modern Technologies to Enhance Mechanisms for Monitoring and Reporting Attacks Against Women Journalists in Africa.”
According to his letter of nomination and appointment, Odumosu’s responsibilities will include receiving and reviewing cases involving threats, harassment and attacks against women journalists in Nigeria, and guiding appropriate follow-up action through designated national mechanisms.
His engagement will also ensure that reported cases are promptly addressed by responsible security agencies through official channels in Nigeria.
The role positions Nigeria to strengthen compliance with global frameworks on freedom of expression and the safety of media practitioners. It will serve as the national coordinating link between UNESCO, government agencies, media organisations, civil society groups and security institutions on issues relating to attacks against journalists.
Reacting to the nomination, Commandant Odumosu expressed appreciation to the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, for approving the appointment.
He also thanked the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, for the confidence reposed in him.
“I want to appreciate my amiable CG for giving me the approval to undertake this noble task and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi for the appointment. I shall do my best to justify this call to service,” he said.
“Journalism is a noble profession, practised by noble men and women, and I am confident that my engagement will enhance the project’s effectiveness in Nigeria and further reinforce collaboration among key institutions dedicated to the safety of women journalists across Africa.”
Odumosu pledged to work closely with professional bodies such as the National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, civil society groups and other stakeholders to ensure the protection of female journalists in Nigeria and across the continent.
