Emmanuel Mayah, Executive Director of the International Centre for Development Reporting (ICDR) publishers of Satellite Times and Business Leaks, has decried the incessant attacks on media by state and non-state actors in Nigeria. Narrating his organisation’s experience on the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity, and Accountability (CMEDIA), Mayah said ICDR came under severe and consistent cyber-attacks while executing their activities. Briefing the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) team during a visit to ICDR’s Abuja office on Wednesday, 2 August 2023, Mayah said private sector players not legally empowered to arrest journalists often resort to cyber wars and lawsuits.
Reeling out some activities and achievements recorded under the project, he said ICDR launched a dedicated website (Business Leaks) to publish investigative stories in the maritime, banking, mining, oil, and gas within the Niger Delta region and Lagos state. ICDR trained thirty journalists to interpret documents, data, and the dynamics of the corporate sector and five private sector practitioners (whistle-blowers) to become special reporters and inductees for the corruption-reporting project. In Mayah’s assessment, courtesy of the CMEDIA intervention, literacy among beneficiary journalists to read and analyse company and financial documents has improved. He also noted improvements in maritime investigation and understanding of Nigeria’s business ecosystem, players, concessioners, beneficial ownership, and their ties with people in government. The investigative journalist noticed increased public scrutiny of the private sector thanks to published investigations. To tackle story feasibility and amplification challenges, he mentioned the proposed partnership between ICDR and Premium Times for story production and publication.
Referring to lessons from past media monitoring reports of the extractives by the WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, ED/CEO, WSCIJ, appealed to ICDR and reporters to be more intentional, avoid many technical languages and use easy-to-understand terms so citizens may follow and act on the reports since they are reporting a niche sector. She highlighted the significance of cartoons, explainer infographics, and short videos as tools to enhance the understanding of technical subjects covered by ICDR among a broader audience. She also charged the organisation to interview expert sources on the status, challenges and recommendations for improving the sector.
CMEDIA Technical Adviser, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, commended ICDR for spotlighting the private sector. She called for follow-up stories to monitor the impacts of reports and encouraged the organisation to give more attention to the plights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the sector.
