Stephen Enoch
The Chairman of the Kano State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Abbas Ibrahim has charged journalists to be consistent in their quest to keep duty bearers accountable.
He made the charge on Saturday at a one-day investigative journalism training workshop for journalists in Kano, organized by Stallion Times Media Services in a bid to equip newsmen with the requite skills in holding public office holders (duty bearers) accountable.
According to Ibrahim, section 22 of the 1999 constitution gives the press that prerogative, and to that end, newsmen should explore investigative journalism as the fourth estate of the realm.
The workshop which trained 40 journalists was under the Participatory Governance and Media Literacy project tagged, “Get Involved, Dialogue and Improve (G-DRIP)” implemented by Stallion Times Media Service, was supported by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
Mr Isiyaku Ahmed, the Project Coordinator and Editor-in-Chief of Stallion Times, while giving his opening remarks tasked journalists to focus on playing their role as watch-dog in society by writing in-depth, impactful investigative stories with data and evidence(s) that will not only hold the government accountable but also change and improve the lives of the citizenry.
“We have noticed that investigative journalism has decreased in Kano, as well as other northern states, and to that end, we want to rejuvenate investigative reports in the state, and in doing this, we have incorporated techniques and strategies to enable journalists do so.
“We have also engaged journalists on the legal and ethical issues surrounding investigative stories and in addition, we have also trained journalists on how to write investigative story pitches for grants both locally and internationally.” He said.
Mr. Idris Mohammed, a Lecturer, investigative journalist cum-researcher who trained participants, said his expectation was “to see a drastic change in the approach of journalists in the way they write investigative stories. “I expect that journalists start to actively play their role of holding government and public institutions accountable in a democratic dispensation.
“There are a lot of things the citizens need to know so as to hold duty bearers to account and it is through these in-depth reports of journalists that this can be achieved.
“I urge journalists to be always accurate, and factual and report without fear or favour.”
