Testimonials have emerged on the impact of the trainings and fellowship programmes of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. Annette Jeje, Amina Alhassan and Azeezat Olaoluwa have expressed how the REMOP programme and FRLP training provided the opportunity for a career plunge and promotion in their respective organisations.
Anette Jeje, formerly News Correspondent with DAAR Communications, recently secured a new appointment as a Broadcast Journalist for BBC News Pidgin Service as a result of the exposure and learning from the REMOP training and mentorship.
Speaking on how the REMOP training and mentoring programme contributed to getting her new job as a Broadcast Journalist for BBC News Pidgin Service, Anette Jeje stated “When I went for the interview, they asked for the reports I have done that made impact. It was my REMOP story and a few other stories that I mentioned. Although, I did not show them the report, I was able to take them through all the processes of how I carried out the investigation.”
“The REMOP training exposed me to reporting issues in a different, more narrative and analytical way,” she added. Her REMOP story “The state of infrastructure in Kwara basic schools”, focused on the underfunding of basic education in Kwara State, evidenced by dilapidated structures, inadequate classrooms, and insufficient tables, chairs and instructional materials. Following the airing of the story, the new government in the state, led by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, visited some of the basic schools highlighted in the report and promised to make basic education his top priority.
The governor also approved the payment of 450 million naira for the readmission of the state to enable it access the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) funds, a development which entitles the state to access UBEC funds worth over five billion naira once it pays its counterpart funds.
In a similar development, Amina Alhassan, a 2017 Fellow of the Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) and Co-Chair of the Report Women Alumni Network (REWON), was elevated to the position of the Deputy Editor of the Weekend titles of Daily Trust. Until her appointment, Amina, who is one of the fifteen female reporters who were trained under the Report Women! Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme in 2017, was the Editor of Tambari Magazine, a Daily Trust weekly special publication.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Executive Officer/ Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust newspapers, Mannir Dan Ali, the appointment takes effect immediately.
Like Amina, Azeezat Olaoluwa, also one of the 33 fellows produced so far on the Report Women FRLP programme, is reaping the benefits of the fellowship. She was recently appointed as Women Affairs Journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The Report Women! Female Reporters’ Leadership Programme (FRLP) is aimed at equipping female reporters with the skills, finesse, support and tools to take bold steps that will help position them for the highest leadership roles in their media houses. The WSCIJ is implementing the project with the support of Free Press Unlimited.
