CSOnetMADE still on the vanguard in fostering the unification of civil society organizations on migration for effective participation in migration management to ensure that migration is voluntary, safe and done in dignity. One of the implementing strategies to ensure that the aforementioned is achieved is the series media engagements carried out by the Network.
The Network carries out quarterly media engagements across the three geopolitical zones (South-east, South-west and North-central). These media engagement primarily aimed at creating awareness on migration issues across the zones and to create an opportunity for Civil Society Network on Migration and Development (CSOnetMADE) to engage with the public in relation to migration issues.
CSOnetMADE employed the services of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation/Orient TV on the 25th day of March, 2020 to carryout media engagement in the Southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. This media agency was chosen because of its popularity and wide coverage in the whole of southeast geopolitical zone.
The media engagement featured a 30 minutes live call-in radio programme. This availed listeners the opportunity to call in to ask questions about migration. On set for the radio call-in programme was the National Coordinator of CSOnetMADE, Southeast CSOnetMADE Zonal coordinator, two (2) organizational members of the Network – Ebonyi Humanity Foundation and INTACOM-Africa.
Furthermore, it is commendable that, although the call-in programme is novel, there was a high level of participation from the audience as the programme recorded a number of calls and more callers were still trying to phone in while the programme ended.
Also featured in the media engagement is a recorded live Programme, which took the form of a panel session where the panelists answered questions relating to migration with specific references to the Southeast geopolitical zone.
Knowing the importance of jingles via radio because of its wide and easy spread of information, the media engagement also used jingles in the most understood language of the people which is Pidgin English, to reach out to the target population.