To mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) will host a special edition of its Journalism & Society Conversations, “The Keynote,” themed “Nigeria @66: Is the Republic Telling Us the Whole Story? Investigative Journalism, Accountability and What Remains Uncovered,” on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, at 11:00 a.m. on X Spaces.
The conversation will examine the stories Nigeria tells about itself, the evidence behind those stories and the realities that may remain underreported, unexplored or obscured. Ifeanyi Uddin, Columnist, Premium Times, will deliver the keynote, focusing on the gap between official narratives and citizens’ lived realities, and what investigative journalism must do to uncover the contradictions and stories that remain outside the national narrative.
The conversation will be moderated by Bukola Coker, Presenter at Channels Television, will feature Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Enlightenment; Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Program, Yiaga Africa; and Nankpak Cirfat, Communications Associate & Media Relations, at Connected Development as contributors. Together, they will bring perspectives from journalism, democratic governance and citizen accountability to questions around official narratives, elections, public spending, government promises and the realities experienced by citizens.
The discussion will explore how journalists and news organisations can interrogate claims of progress, test public narratives against evidence and use investigative reporting to expose gaps in governance and accountability. It will also consider what remains insufficiently scrutinised in Nigeria’s democratic story and what journalists should be looking for as the country moves towards another electoral cycle.
The Keynote will also provide the platform for WSCIJ to announce the opening of the 2026 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) call for entries, scheduled for 4 October 2026.
Join the conversation on X Spaces: https://bit.ly/WSCIJ-X-Space-Nigeria-at-66
