The Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA) has urged Nigerian journalists reporting on corruption cases and anti-corruption agencies to support the implementation of Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Performance Public Reporting project. The call was made during a media parley with journalists on the anti-corruption beat in Abuja.
CMPA is currently implementing Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Performance Public Reporting project, which is being funded by the MacArthur Foundation and is scheduled to run from 2023 to 2024. The director of communication, outreach and advocacy, Ibrahim Uba-Yusuf, while speaking at the roundtable observed that the meeting had over 25 journalists from different media arms like print, broadcast, and online. He described their presence at the event as a means of supporting anti-corruption reporting and expressed the hope that the knowledge gained during the gathering would motivate them to do better in reporting corruption cases.
Furthermore, the executive director and project manager, Dr Suleiman Suleiman, while addressing the journalists, highlighted the differences in how various reporters and media organizations cover anti-corruption cases. The lack of a unified reporting template was blamed for these discrepancies. Dr Suleiman said that at the end of this project, a harmonized reporting template would be designed for the media and anti-corruption agencies.
It is important to note that the media, as the watchdog of society, play a pivotal role in promoting accountability, good governance, and transparency. It’s been observed that the most impactful reporting on corrupt practices often come from the media, so this initiative, when fully implemented, will help strengthen the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.
All journalists are encouraged to support this initiative and other relevant programs targeted at promoting transparency, curbing corruption and promoting integrity in all spheres of Nigerian life.
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