Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser to the President, is set to deliver the keynote address at a high-level meeting organized by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) on Thursday, November 21, 2024, in Abuja.
The meeting aims to enhance journalists’ safety and strengthen Nigeria’s civic space by promoting mutual understanding and respect between security agencies, the judiciary, and the news media.
As the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ribadu’s presence is expected to bring significant weight to the discussions.
The meeting will bring together senior representatives from Nigeria’s security agencies, judiciary, media organizations, and civil society organizations to address critical issues surrounding journalists’ safety, press freedom, and other civil liberties.
The Civic Space Guard project, launched by WSCIJ in December 2021, has been working to provide journalists with essential resources, training, and support to perform their work safely and effectively.
The project’s 2024 report, ‘Hushed voices in an election year’, highlights the importance of this gathering, revealing that security agencies and political actors were responsible for nearly 70% of civic space infringements, with journalists, media organizations, and citizens being the main targets.
The high-level meeting is part of the ‘Leveraging the power of the media to fortify the civic space and tackle malinformation’ program, implemented by WSCIJ in partnership with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
This program aims to highlight the media’s critical role in safeguarding democratic freedoms and reinforcing the media’s vital function as an independent guardian of civic space.
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