The role of media at the sub-national levels of government will be in focus at the 14th edition of the annual Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series on Wednesday 13 July 2022.
‘Can democracy work without a strong sub-national media?’ will be the theme of the webinar according to a press statement by the organisers, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
The event will also serve as the public launch of the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) project of WSCIJ
Chiedo Nwankwor, Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS) and Kole Shettima, Director, MacArthur Foundation Africa office will lead the conversation at the programme.
Ibiba Don Pedro, Managing Director, National Point; Haruna Mohammed, Co-publisher, WikkiTimes; ‘Fisayo Soyombo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism and Social Justice; Adaora Onyechere, Executive Director, Gender Strategy Advancement International and Mansur Liman, Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) are the panellists at the event to be moderated by Uduak Amimo, broadcaster and executive coach.
According to the Executive Director of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, the saturation of media at the centre and the lack of accountability at the state and local government levels, even as the nation heads for the 2023 general elections, informed the choice of the theme to draw attention to the need for an independent media holding government to account at the sub-national levels towards a vibrant and thriving democracy.
The Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) is a multi-level intervention for media independence and government accountability supported by the MacArthur Foundation. It 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 in the private sector.
Interested participants may register for the webinar with this link to join the discussion which will include the media, industry experts, private sector leaders, government ministries and agencies, pressure groups, policymakers, students, members of the diplomatic corps and other stakeholders in the civil society.
