To contribute to efforts in bringing to the fore critical issues in the electricity sector in Nigeria, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has partnered some media and civil society organisations. A workshop was held in Lagos on Wednesday, 2nd and Thursday, 3rd June 2021 to commence the collaborative project.
The media organisations involved are Daily Trust Newspaper, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and TVC News. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG) are also part of the collaboration to amplify the stories that ensue.
The workshop organised under the Regulators Monitoring Programme (REMOP), an initiative of the WSCIJ with support from MacArthur Foundation, provided an immersion opportunity into salient matters on the structure of the Nigerian electricity demand and supply chain, theory and practice of electricity pricing as well as its impact on consumers, and possible solutions to Nigeria’s electricity crisis.
The participants were taken through modules such as the realities of electricity tariff increase and the future, how the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) tariff system works, collaboration that works: mapping the role of partners to achieve impact, key strategies for story plan, the structure of the Nigerian electricity value chain (demand and supply) and what available data tell us about the state of electricity in Nigeria, facilitated by seasoned resource persons.
Facilitators at the workshop included Sam Amadi, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Adetayo Adegbemle, Executive Director, PowerUpNG; Musiliu Oseni, Vice Chairman/Commissioner, Market Competition & Rates of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Rotimi Sankore, Chief Editorial Coordinator, Special Projects, AIM Media Group; Simon Echewofun-Sunday, Acting Business Editor, Daily Trust newspaper; and Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO, WSCIJ.
Participants from the collaborating media will be mentored for two months towards jointly producing impactful stories on the sector.
