Haruna Mohammed Salisu, the co-publisher and Cheif Executive Officer (CEO) of WikkiTimes, a pro-north accountability and investigative platform, has called for public enlightenment on the role of media in order to appreciate and support the media in holding power accountable.
The experienced investigative journalist spoke at a summit on journalists’ safety held in Abuja yesterday.
The summit themed: Protecting Press Freedom, Ensuring Journalists’ Safety in Abuja, was organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in partnership with International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICR) and Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP).
The summit was attended by major stakeholders including Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of the ICIR and Agba Jalingo, publisher of CrossRiverWatch among others.
Speaking further, Haruna decried the lack of public support and appreciation for the media in its quest to hold those in power accountable.
He said the role of the media is to ensure the welfare is being prioritised, adding in a situation where people were denied justice, the media should lend their voices to ensure justice.
Haruna who was lynched by some political thugs and also arrested during the last election, recounted his experience, saying his platform has about seven lawsuits at the moment. These lawsuits, he said, spurred from holding power to account.
According to him holding power accountable is a task that needs dedication “as many forces will gang up against you, but when you stand firm, no force will deter you from doing your job.”
“We once conducted an investigation and reported about a contract scam by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,” Haruna recalled. “After we published, he threatened that we should take down the story, but we stood firm to our stand because we have all the evidence. Later on, the people we interviewed issued a press release denouncing granting us an interview, but we countered them with video evidence of our interviews. The saddest thing is that the people don’t appreciate what we are doing.”
Trolling, Cyberattacks, Threats… The Cost of Our Journalism at WikkiTimes
Iyobosa Uwagiaren, Secretary for the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), in his remarks, said concrete strategies are needed to combat attacks against journalists. He tripoded the strategies on prevention, protection and prosecution
“We need to strive to develop concrete strategies that go beyond mere reaction to journalist attacks. This approach rests on three fundamental pillars: prevention, protection, and prosecution,” he said.
Sharing his experience, the publisher of CrossRiverWatch, Jalingo, said he was arrested by men of the Nigeria Police Force after a petition was written against him.
Recounting her encounter with police officers in Kogi State, Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuf, Project Officer of Campus Reporter at CJID, said: “I was almost molested by men of the Nigerian police force while sent on an assignment to cover elections in Kogi state.”
