WikkiTimes Launches Umaru Pate Accountability Reporting Fellowship, to Train Young Graduates on Accountability Journalism

WikkiTimes, a Bauchi-based investigative and data journalism outlet founded in 2018 will launch Umaru Pate Accountability Reporting Fellowship.

Named after Professor Umaru Pate, the current Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Kashere, the fellowship will offer six months paid-internship to young graduates in investigative, data and fact-checking journalism.

READ: Jeff Kelly, Prof Pate, Others to Speak at WikkiTimes’ 2022 Colloquium

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of journalism, the fellowship will be launched on January 4, 2023, to mark the professor’s 59th birthdate.

A well-credentialled scholar, and academic of international repute, Pate is the pioneer Dean, of the Faculty of Communication, at Bayero University Kano. As a Professor of Media and Society and an advocate of investigative journalism, Pate has won several international grants for the Faculty of Communications at BUK.His contribution includes the modification of the Nigerian Journalism curriculum to address emerging trends in the industry.

Commenting on the fellowship, WikkiTimes’ publisher, Haruna Mohammed Salisu said: “Umaru Pate is one of Nigeria’s finest media scholars who has mentored and selflessly supported hundreds of journalists in Nigeria and beyond. He has tutored media scholars and has been at the forefront of advancing the frontiers of media scholarship.

READ: Prof Pate Eulogises Veteran Journalist, Timawus Mathias

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“Inspired by his continuous service to humanity, we are kickstarting a graduate fellowship program where we intend to train graduates who have a demonstrable interest in accountability journalism. For us at WikkiTimes, there is no better way to celebrate Professor Pate than to launch this kind of program; because we believe that doing so will advance the very principles and values Professor Pate stood for, for years.”

The publisher added that in the first year of the fellowship, WikkiTimes will recruit six graduates in total, who have completed the compulsory one-year national service and will be mentored by experienced data journalists and fact-checkers for six months. “The idea is to help the fellows access the best mentoring opportunities to enable them to hold power to account — in line with the creeds for which Professor Pate stands throughout his career,” Haruna added.