Umaru Pate, immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Kashere and Professor of Communication at Bayero University, Kano, will deliver the keynote address at the 18th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series on 13 July 2026 in Lagos. The event themed ‘Beyond the Ballot: Measuring Democracy Through Security, Welfare, Accountability and Public Trust’, will also feature the public presentation of Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ’s) 2025 Journalism & Civic Space Status Report, to be reviewed by Ayodele Atsenuwa, Professor of Public Law at the University of Lagos.
As Nigeria approaches another electoral cycle, the lecture will examine whether democracy is delivering security, welfare, accountability, and public trust, shifting the conversation from elections alone to the quality of governance and outcomes for citizens.
The programme will feature a keynote lecture by Pate, followed by the Democracy Delivery Conversation, a high-level dialogue involving journalists, academics, policymakers, and civic actors on the role of journalism in tracking governance outcomes, strengthening public accountability, and deepening democratic engagement.
The event will also include the public presentation of the WSCIJ 2025 Journalism & Civic Space Status Report which will be reviewed by Atsenuwa. The report continues WSCIJ’s longitudinal documentation of the state of journalism and civic space in Nigeria and builds on previous editions, including Hushed Voices and the Media’s Defence of Civic Space (2012-2022), Hushed Voices in an Election Year (2023), Shrinking Freedoms (2024).
Through evidence-based analysis and stakeholder engagement, the report examines developments affecting media freedom, civic participation, public accountability, and identifies opportunities and challenges for democratic governance.
Held annually on 13 July to mark the birthday of Wole Soyinka, Grand Patron of the WSCIJ who turns 92 this year, the Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series has, for nearly two decades, convened leading voices to advance discourse on journalism, democracy, governance, accountability, and civic life. WSCIJ remains committed to strengthening investigative journalism, civic space, and democratic participation.
The event will bring together journalists, academics, policymakers, civil society leaders, development partners, students, and citizens to reflect on one of the most pressing questions confronting Nigeria and democracies around the world: beyond elections, how should democratic performance be measured?
Signed,
Motunrayo Alaka
Executive Director & CEO
Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ)
