As Nigeria approaches another electoral cycle, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) is set to examine whether democracy is delivering security, welfare, accountability and public trust, shifting the conversation from elections alone to the quality of governance and outcomes for citizens.

This would be deliberated at the 18th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series scheduled for July 13, 2026, in Lagos, where the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere and professor of Communication at Bayero University, Kano, Umaru Pate, will deliver the keynote address.

The event is themed “Beyond the Ballot: Measuring Democracy Through Security, Welfare, Accountability and Public Trust.”

According to the Executive Director and CEO of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, the programme will include a high-level dialogue involving journalists, academics, policymakers and civic actors on the role of journalism in tracking governance outcomes, strengthening public accountability and deepening democratic engagement.

The event will also feature a public presentation of the WSCIJ 2025 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report, which will be reviewed by Professor of Public Law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Ayodele Atsenuwa.

Alaka said the report would continue its longitudinal documentation of the state of journalism and civic space in Nigeria, building on previous editions, including Hushed Voices and the Media’s Defence of Civic Space (2012–2022), Hushed Voices in an Election Year (2023) and Shrinking Freedoms (2024).

According to the Centre, the report uses evidence-based analysis and stakeholders’ engagement to examine developments affecting media freedom, civic participation and public accountability, while identifying opportunities and challenges for democratic governance.

Alaka said that the lecture series, held yearly on July 13 to commemorate the birthday of Wole Soyinka, Grand Patron of the WSCIJ, who turns 92 this year, had, for nearly two decades, provided a platform for discourse on journalism, democracy, governance, accountability and civic life.

She said that the event would bring together journalists, academics, policymakers, civil society leaders, development partners, students and citizens to reflect on one of the key questions confronting Nigeria and democracies around the world: Beyond elections, how democratic performance should be measured.

She noted that WSCIJ remains committed to strengthening investigative journalism, civic space and democratic participation through evidence-based engagement and public dialogue.