- By Halimah Olamide
The Chief Executive Officer of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Mrs. Motunrayo Alaka, has called on journalists to devote their skills to reporting more on issues bordering on social justice.
Alaka, in a statement made available to the NPO Reports said the call became more germane on the occasion of the 2024 World Day of Social Justice.
She said the event presented another opportunity for news organizations to “scale up the call against social exclusion and tackle social injustices through investigative human-interest stories.”
She explained that social justice embodies principles like equitable access to resources, participation, diversity, and human rights, equal opportunity in life and others.
“It fosters national unity by bridging gaps in access to wealth, resources, and opportunities between different socio-economic groups.
“In line with the 2024 theme – Global coalition for social justice: Bridging gaps, building alliances – the news media and other stakeholders must unite to reaffirm commitment to combat social injustice. Five areas of intervention readily come to mind that need urgent attention – corruption causing poverty, insecurity, education, and girls and women issues,” she said
Adding that the global and national poverty index on inequality is scary, Alaka expressed regrets that poverty is a major form of injustice in Nigeria saying corruption is the main culprit.
“According to the 2023 corruption perception index released by Transparency International, Nigeria ranks 145 out of 180 countries assessed. While there was a slight improvement from the 2022, the rating underscores the ongoing challenges of advancing social justice through anticorruption. The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) continues to work with many news media organisations and other stakeholders to contribute to the change Nigeria needs.” Alaka stated
Acknowledging that the media expose corruption in public and private sectors, Alaka said that her centre will continue to recognise and honour their resilience through the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR).
“In 2011, many of the award-winning stories focused on corruption in public and private institutions. On the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) launched in 2022, WSCIJ some partners have advanced the use of Freedom of Information Act for investigative reporting on corruption, project implementation compliance and data journalism.
“Some impact stories under CMEDIA include the ‘Transborder certificate scam’ report by Daily Nigerian that resulted in the Federal Government suspending degrees from Benin and Togo. Similarly, a Dataphyte report on a contract breach for the supply of 200m naira worth of computers to UNIOSUN prompted action shortly after the investigation.”