 In honor of Women's History Month, the U.S. Consulate General has urged media outlets in Nigeria to reject interviews and panels that feature only men. Female journalists gather that the American corner in Lagos to share their experiences and challenges in order to canvas ways to encourage and involve more women in journalism. Here in this hall is the gathering of renowned journalists from different media outlets in Nigeria. Public affairs officer U.S. Consulate General Lagos Steven Ibili stated that the U.S. government believes there is great role the media plays in maintaining democracy with women's involvement and participation. And we believe women should be at the forefront as journalists, managing directors, and owners. The unfortunate reality is that despite the games recorded over the years globally in terms of gender parity, women journalists still face challenges, whether it's unfair assignments, harassment or issues with personal safety. The distinguished panelists discussed how they successfully navigate their careers. It also had its advantages for me being the only woman at the time. But I think it's a huge failure on my part and a huge failure on the part of the people who had the sports industry that in 2022, we're still talking about Chisong being one of a few, it needs to change. So it's more pressure on me to now begin to see that there's no success for me if I look behind and I haven't dragged enough people. Actually remember my mom calling me that day and saying if you don't leave the like I told you, I'm going to this only. So it was a very interesting place to be because now this is my mom, my family, someone I care about and my job. So it was it was a very interesting place to be. And like you say as a woman, even more so because people just assume that we can't handle ourselves in a certain kind of situation. The panelists pointed away some of the challenges journalists face can be controlled. Button on Twitter for me, it's a mute button. It's amazing. You don't even have to engage with them. You don't see their comments, you know, but you see it initially and after you meet them, you know, but it is helpful and I have to take social media breaks. So if you're experiencing that, please take breaks. Media executives should know that it is not luxury. It's a priority. It's a need to make constant therapy to be available about the upcoming 2023 general elections. It barely believes it's time to take the ball by the horn by creating more space for women. When convening political debates, it is our fervent wish that media houses will say no to interview panels that feature only men and include women, subject matter experts as well. They also encourage the mass communication students in the hall to be focused as they pursue a career for themselves in journalism. Justine Taubuukou, Plus TV News.