WikkiTimes publisher, Haruna Mohammed Salisu, has argued that investigative journalism remains an indispensable tool for promoting accountability and justice in Nigeria.
Salisu also noted that investigative journalists in Nigeria face persistent suppression, ranging from arbitrary arrests to forced exile, as they strive to expose corruption and systemic failures.
Salisu made the disclosure while presenting the 2025 Robert Mayberry Memorial Lecture at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, United States on Wednesday. He painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s dire socio-economic conditions, which he argues, fuel insurgency and crime.
According to him, with a population of 235 million projected to reach 400 million by 2050, the country grapples with a crumbling healthcare system, an education crisis, and a corrupt government.
These conditions, he argued, make investigative journalism indispensable for accountability and justice.
“Our healthcare system is in a terrible mess. It represents one of the most glaring examples of government failure. As a country of over 235 million people, we have only 24,000 licensed doctors.
“My country needs an additional 363,000, doctors for it to appreciably respond to the health needs of the citizens. In the southern states, which are considered more developed in the country than northern states, a single doctor is responsible for treating 30,000 people. In northern Nigeria where I come from, the conditions are even worse—one doctor for 45,000 people.”
Haruna also argued that “the same conditions apply to the education sector. Nigeria has the world’s highest number of out-of-school children—20 million. Our out of school children in Nigeria are more than the population of 16 African countries combined”
“My home state, Bauchi, leads the country in this crisis, with 1.4 million children out of school. What future can we expect when millions of children are growing up without basic education? What country are we going to build as a people when young children that hold the future of any decent country have no schools, no teachers, and no hope”, he asked.
He maintained that these failures create fertile ground for insurgents like Boko Haram, who exploit poverty and frustration to recruit.
Despite the essential role of journalism in exposing these issues, journalists in Nigeria face severe repression.
Salisu recounted how he was detained during Nigeria’s 2023 general election for interviewing protesters critical of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed.
His team at WikkiTimes has suffered arrests, online censorship, and office raids. In 2022, they were forced to relocate their office twice due to threats and intimidation.
“The government uses every tool at its disposal – arrests, defamation lawsuits, social media restrictions, and even violence,” Salisu said.
WikkiTimes has faced nine Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) aimed at silencing its reporting. Additionally, financial pressure mounts as advertisers refuse to associate with the publication due to its investigative work against corrupt officials.
Salisu, who went into exile in April 2023 due to mounting threats, lamented the winding down of funding for platforms like WikkiTimes, which he says cannot sustain investigative journalism with drying purse.
He said funding cut forced the outlet to lay off six staff members, further straining its operations.
“If we stop, corruption will flourish unchecked. Injustice will grow stronger. The people will be left in darkness. We take these risks because we believe in the power of truth.”
