Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has commended the National Point newspaper for its coverage of accountability, inclusivity and development issues in the Niger Delta.
The commendation was made on Friday by a partnership team of WSCIJ that visited the office of National Point and Foreword Communications Limited in Port Harcourt, under the auspices of the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) programme.
The Head of the WSCIJ team, Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, commended National Point for being able to operate in a difficult environment like the Niger Delta and yet remain regular and exceptional.
She particularly praised the newspaper for mainstreaming issues that affect women, poor people, people with disabilities (PWDs),disaster-prone areas, the East-West road and minorities.
Prof. Ogwezzy-Ndisika urged the newspaper to continue to follow up on its accountability and inclusivity stories until intervention, implementation and regulatory agencies and bodies address the issues.
She advised that stories should take human angles and include historical perspectives. “Let the local people come out and be involved in projects. Let the people show their social responsibility in whatever they are doing,” Prof. Ogwezzy-Ndisika said.
She also commended the Town hall meetings that Foreword Communications Limited has held in the Niger Delta and urged that such town hall meetings should raise strong points and reports. “Your stories should form discussion programmes . People should tweet them, people should talk about them on radio in media circles,” she said.
She also made a case for utilizing student journalists to file reports for the newspaper.
The Managing Director of Foreword Communications Limited, Ms. Ibiba DonPedro, had briefed the CMEDIA team about how National Point has been able to give voice to the voiceless in the Niger Delta despite the difficult cultural, security and environmental challenges in the region.
“When we write, we bring in the human perspectives; we give voice to women and young persons. The elections are over, where are the women? Are they being involved in the appointments?
“We are working hard to help stop impunity in government. We go back to our stories to ensure that issues we raise, are taken up by government and the authorities,” Ms. DonPedro said.
She disclosed that so much money comes to the government in the region but, there is poverty all over the place. “People are pushed to the fringes of the city to live because they cannot afford life in the city centres. If government does the right thing at the local government level, life can really be better for the people,” she said.
Also speaking, the Managing Editor of National Point, Chief Constance Meju, said there were many people whose voices need to be heard. “The people here live with the worst kind of abuse. Apart from being a patriarchal society, the region is highly militarized, with conflicts here and there,” Chief Meju said.
She pointed out particularly that National Point has been devoted to reporting the state of the roads in the Niger Delta in a way that is far ahead of any other media.
The WSCIJ team also included Mr. Afolabi Oni and Ms. Emem Nssien.
