AFRICMIL charges media to promote culture of speaking against wrongdoings

The Coordinator, African Centre For Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) Mr. Chido Onumah, has tasked the media on entrenching the culture of speaking up against wrongdoing, as well as standing up for anyone facing reprisals.

Onumah, who stated this in his welcome address at a media workshop for journalists on whistleblowing and whistleblower protection, said AFRICMIL believes that by the nature of their job, journalists are also whistleblowers and so, should have as much stake.

He said the training was for journalists working in the anti-corruption field and are ready to help amplify whistleblowing and whistleblower protection.

“Since 2017, AFRICMIL has been working on a project tagged Corruption Anonymous (CORA), which is supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The project is designed to build public confidence and support for the whistleblowing policy of the Nigerian government.

“We began by engaging this project on three major planks, which include creating awareness and sensitising the public to the importance of whistleblowing as a tool for fighting corruption and checking other forms of wrongdoing in the society, advocating honest implementation of the policy, and ensuring effective protection for people, who are courageous enough to blow the whistle.

“However, of late, following the renewal of the project for another three years, we have added a fourth platform of engagement, with the sole objective of working for the institutionalisation of whistleblowing, as a vital mechanism for transparency and democratic good governance in Nigeria.”