Crucial Apps And Tools For Journalists reporting 2023 Elections in Nigeria

By Adeyemi Adekunle
Abuja, Nigeria

As the general election of Nigeria get closer and the electoral umpire in Nigeria, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) keeps on raising the hopes and aspirations of Nigeria’s electorates of free and fair conduct of the electoral process, journalists within the country and outside the country of the most populous black nation are expected to get familiar with in case they find themselves in a difficult situation in covering the electoral process.
For Nigeria-based journalists and Foreign that will be covering the 2023 election in Nigeria, it’s critical to get familiar with the present-day technological development that will enhance their reportage and safety in the course of carrying out their duties. Getting familiar with the apps and tools that will enhance safety and productivity will be a great idea to look into at the election.
The following are documents, apps, and tools that will give journalists smooth rides in the course of reporting the 2023 election in Nigeria.

Documents:
For decades Foreign journalists have been covering the elections in Nigeria, but for an election whose result shall be collated manually, journalists that are to embark on such a journey need to be ready for the task ahead.


Covering an Election in Nigeria requires have recognized press ID card, and a letter sent to the electoral body(Independent National Electoral Commission) for the coverage of the election, whilst they receive digital proof of accreditation, Journalists should have more than one mobile phone while reporting in Nigeria in 2023 elections and should memorize phone numbers of fellow journalists in the same state where he is reporting in case such journalist need any assistance.


Both foreign and Nigeria-based Journalists who want to report election in Nigeria in 2023 should have hard copies of the most important documents that show they are supposed accredited to cover the election, to avoid any breach in the process of carrying out their duties.

Communication apps
WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter, Telegram are the most popular messaging apps in Nigeria. Although telegram allows the opportunity to communicate with a large number of individuals and organizations most people often prefer WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter because of the flexibility of usage.
Trillian, Teamwork Chat, and Letstalk are other apps that can be used for communication and have the space for large numbers of people to communicate, but they all require internet access.
Briar is a secure messaging app, due to its end-to-end-encrypted messaging. And the message can be deleted without any trace it’s only being used by a few journalists its use age could increase as the election approaches.

Maps:
When it comes to navigating inside Nigeria, the best app is Google Maps. For areas with no internet coverage using Google Maps will be a difficult task as it does not work offline.


Presently in Nigeria, these navigation apps are useful for journalists who will be working in Nigeria in the coverage of the 2023 election, Open Street Maps, Maps. Me All-in-one Offline Maps. Although these apps are not as accurate as Google Maps, they are accurate for navigating small towns and villages and have the capabilities to work offline for long periods.

Weather Forecast and Alerts:
These are Apps that come in handy to give journalists first-hand alerts on the weather conditions of the day. These work in cities and villages


WEATHER AND RADAR app alerts users about Sunshine while it also does display the atmospheric condition of the day. A similar app is LOCAL WEATHER ALERT which can track crucial information on weather in any area in Nigeria.

Language support
If you do not speak or understand Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo, Google Translate will come in handy as a distinct assistant. For documents or signboards hard to read, Journalists reporting in Nigeria can capture or point their phones’ cameras at them, while the app will change a translation of the text into a preferred language. Google Translate came to function with a conversation that lets two parties speak in their preferred languages while the app translates on both sides. This function works well in Nigeria.

News and Data:
Journalists coming to Nigeria for the 2023 polls might need news and data sources to assist their reporting. They can follow media outlets like PREMIUM TIMES and DATAPHYTES, and CHANNELS TV.
And for Mobility with the usage of cars, there are apps used by individuals in Nigeria regardless of where you are going there are: Uber, Bolt, Taxify

North -Eastern, Nigeria:
Reporting in northeastern Nigeria will not be easy for a foreign journalist covering the 2023 election without security assistance who can help facilitate their reporting due to the issue of insecurity in some pockets of places in the region.
Journalists are encouraged to analyze the security first before going into this region for the coverage of the election and can get their live updates from PREMIUM TIMES, DATAPHYTES, and CHANNELS TV whose media houses have indigenous journalists in the region.


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