FCT NSCDC Commandant takes on UNESCO assignment to strengthen media safety.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has appointed the FCT Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Olusola Odumosu, as Nigeria’s Focal Point for the project, “Monitoring and Reporting on the Safety of Journalists in Africa, with a Specific Focus on Gender.

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According to a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Monica Ojobi, 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, including journalists, civil society representatives, law enforcement officers and legal experts from the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU). Participants reviewed an online observatory designed to monitor and track attacks against women journalists in Africa and made recommendations to improve its effectiveness and coordination among stakeholders.
The statement explained that the training was organised by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) and funded by the Government of the Netherlands through UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). It formed part of the second phase of the project, “Applying Modern Technologies to Enhance Mechanism for Monitoring and Reporting Attacks Against Women Journalists in Africa.”
As Nigeria’s focal point, Odumosu will receive and review cases involving threats, harassment and attacks against women journalists and facilitate appropriate follow-up actions through designated national mechanisms. The role is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s compliance with global standards on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists while serving as a coordinating link between UNESCO, government agencies, media organisations, civil society groups and security institutions on issues affecting journalists.
Reacting to the appointment, Odumosu thanked the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, for approving the appointment and expressed appreciation to the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, for the confidence reposed in him. He described the appointment as both an honour and a call to duty at a time when the safety of journalists, particularly women, remains a major concern in Nigeria and across the world.
He pledged to work closely with professional bodies, including the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders to promote the protection and safety of female journalists in Nigeria and across Africa.