Nigeria’s first female media academy, the Women Radio Centre, recently graduated the second cohort of its Female Investigative Reporting Training 2.0, which included 20 journalists and media personnel, selected from across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

Experts in investigative journalism from various institutions, including Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times, who served as the head of this year’s faculty, trained the women.

Other facilitators include, Dr. Suleiman M. Yar’adua of the Bayero University Kano; Deputy Director of Journalism Programme CJID, Busola Ajibola; Managing Editor of Premium Times Newspaper, Idris Akinbajo; Programme Manager Dataphyte, Charles Mbah and Silas Jonathan, Fact-Checker and Researcher of DUBAWA Nigeria.

Olorunyomi stressed the importance of democracy and the protection of human rights in Nigeria. He also highlighted the crucial role of journalists in demanding accountability from elected leaders and setting agendas for leaders on matters of public interest.

Yar’Adua spoke about the ethics of investigative journalism, emphasising the importance of gathering facts and evidence during investigations.

Busola Ajibola advised journalists to prioritise their safety while carrying out their duties.

Idris Akinbajo charged the participants to delve deeply into their investigations and seek to unearth secrets about individuals and institutions that can deter the growth and development of Nigeria. Charles Mbah advised them to utilise digital tools in collating and keeping data, which would help to track trends with data and keep the public informed of relevant changes and indexes.

The participants, led by the CEO, Women Radio 91.7, Toun Okewale Sonaiya and Dapo Olorunyomi, paid a courtesy visit to the Ogun State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Abdulwaheed Odusile. Odusile shared his investigative journalism experience and advised the participants to be safety conscious and ensure that their reports reflect Nigeria positively.

In her address, Sonaiya, the centre’s founder, urging them to uphold the ethics and integrity of the profession at all times, encouraged the trained journalists to apply what they have learned during the training and leverage the network of people they have met during the course of the program.

The training, which aims to empower female investigative journalists to address the under-representation and under-reporting of women’s issues, is an initiative of Women Radio 91.7 and is supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

The Women Radio Centre 2023 fellows will be coached by Executive Director of Illuminate Nigeria Development Network, Anike-Ade Funke Treasure; Africa Editor for the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, Amzat Ajibola; a fact-checker and freelance journalist, Pinado Waba; Head of Africa Service, BBC, Bilikisu Labaran and Dr. Ruqayyah Aliyu of the Bayero University Kano.

This programme is set to equip the participants with the necessary skills and expertise to produce more in-depth, hard-hitting, and impactful investigative stories that tackle issues of public interest from women’s perspectives.