UI Don Advocates Solutions Reporting in Conflict Coverage
- Two Nigerian researchers presented findings on media coverage and the human impact of farmer-herder conflict at a 2026 Lagos conference
- A media researcher found that Nigerian newspapers largely covered the conflict with ethnic profiling and blame-heavy language
- A sociologist reported that orphans and widows in Benue and Plateau states received only short-term aid with no long-term support
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering education in Nigeria and Africa.
Yaba, Lagos State - Two Nigerian academics have urged journalists and governments to adopt more constructive approaches to addressing the farmer-herder crisis.
They argued that current media coverage and institutional responses have fallen short of what victims and affected communities need.
Source: Facebook
Dr Ridwan Kolawole of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan, and Dr Yikwab Yikwabs of the Sociology Department, Federal University Lokoja, made the call recently at the 2026 Africa University Seminar Series Nigeria (AUSS-NG), organised by the Social Science Research Council's African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD).
The conference, themed “Citizenship, Belonging and Geographies of Conflict in Contemporary Nigeria,” was held at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Research Centre, University of Lagos (UNILAG), with the institution’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Muyiwa Falaye, in attendance. Legit.ng also covered the event.
How Nigerian media covered the conflict
Kolawole, presenting findings from his doctoral thesis on how Nigerian newspapers reported farmer-herder violence, said the coverage was overwhelmingly negative and conflict-escalating. He said the papers focused heavily on "blameworthy labelling, ethnic profiling, and derogatory appellations such as criminal herder, murderous herder, killer, among others, which did not help in solving the problem."
He acknowledged, however, that not all reportage followed this pattern.
He stated:
"Some of the reportage explored solutions journalism, although not as comprehensive as expected and not deliberate. Some of the reports featured reconciliation, peacebuilding and conflict resolution."
Source: Facebook
Kolawole, a certified trainer with the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN, USA), urged journalists to go beyond simply exposing problems and instead highlight credible responses to social challenges.
His words:
"The role of the media goes beyond its traditional functions of informing, educating and entertaining, as journalists can also contribute to peace through responsible reporting; they also help de-escalate the problems and participate in peacebuilding."
Furthermore, Kolawole cautioned that media practitioners are not insulated from the consequences of the crises they cover, warning that conflict escalation driven by irresponsible reporting could ultimately harm journalists themselves.
Yikwabs highlights conflict’s human cost
Yikwabs turned attention to the human cost of the conflict in North Central Nigeria, particularly in Benue and Plateau states, where women and children who lost spouses and parents to the violence have struggled to rebuild their lives. He found that government and institutional responses have provided immediate relief but have consistently failed to address longer-term needs, including education for orphaned children and livelihood support for widows.
He called on both state and federal governments to commit to sustained intervention programmes that would restore livelihoods and enable displaced persons to return home safely.
Both researchers are alumni of the SSRC's APDD doctoral fellowship. Kolawole received the fellowship in 2019, 2020 and 2022, while Yikwabs received it in 2021 and 2022.
Kolawole shows journalists how to report solutions
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Dr Kolawole emphasised the need to tone down problem reporting and embrace solutions journalism (SoJo) by reporting people’s efforts in solving their problems.
Kolawole spoke at a training he convened for professional journalists and aspiring writers, held at the Department of Communication and Language Arts, UI.
Addressing the participants, Kolawole noted that the training was part of efforts to reposition Nigerian journalism by encouraging practitioners to move beyond problem-focused narratives and highlight evidence-based responses to societal issues.
Source: Legit.ng
