Safer Media Initiative to empower FCT, Nasarawa, Benue journalists as CMEDIA passes mid-way

Safer Media Initiative (SMI) will organise training for journalists in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nasarawa and Benue State to strengthen grassroots governance and accountability reporting in the North-Central zone of Nigeria as part of its year two activities under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA). The CMEDIA project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, is a project of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), with 26 media and media support organisations as partners. According to Peter Iorter, Executive Director/CEO of SMI, 10 investigative stories will be commissioned on subnational issues within these states. He mentioned that SMI would also hold town halls for media, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and community members to discuss and amplify reports.

According to Iorter, 10 journalists – five men and five women – were mentored during the first year. His organisation researched to assess media independence and how media outlets covered subnational stories in Nigeria. He also highlighted the training and mentoring of 51 journalists, including 24 women and 27 men, while briefing the WSCIJ team that included Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO; Emem Nssien, Finance Officer, CMEDIA project; Ehikioya Ataman, Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant and Afolabi Oni, Communications Officer, about his organisation’s activities. The SMI team had Rosana Opara, Programmes Officer and Dinatu Moses, Assistant Programmes/Account Officer in attendance too.

Iorter and his team expressed his gratitude to the MacArthur Foundation and the WSCIJ for the grant, which he considered both rewarding and exciting especially since SMI was first-time grantees. The SMI boss highlighted an improvement in SMI’s institutional capacity courtesy WSCIJ’s guidance. He promised that SMI would build its staff capacity and long-term sustainability beyond the three-year cycle of the initiative developed as a multi-level intervention for media independence and government accountability. He highlighted working with journalists not directly employed by SMI to execute stories as a challenge the organisation experienced in year one.

In her response, Alaka said the visit allowed her team to appreciate partners\’ realities, the impact of SMI as a CMEDIA partner, track progress and share ideas that may help with challenges. While addressing some issues raised, Alaka mentioned that WSCIJ was planning a conference to discuss media and its long-term sustainability. She encouraged SMI to amplify stories through technologies that are prevalent in the communities affected by the stories and seek collaborations with media organisations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with national spread.

The CMEDIA project, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, is working through 26 partner organisations to improve public awareness and the ecosystem for transparency, accountability and good governance and amplify marginalised voices, especially at state and local government levels and the private sector.