Call-Out as an Emerging Investigative Journalism Model Practice in Nigeria: The Case of Foundation for Investigative Journalism

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February 3, 2021

While chronicling the history of investigative journalism in the world, The Guardian UK notes that W.T Stead is considered as the father of the journalism practice. According to the paper, Stead became popular in 1885 after his famous investigation into the trafficking of young girls, which landed him in jail. According to a number of sources, the investigation led to the formulation of a law that established the age of consent within the context of migration.

In Nigeria, history remains cloudy regarding who could be regarded as the founding father of the journalism practice. However, some sources suggest the like of late Dele Giwa as one of the founding fathers of the journalism type. After his demise, a number of journalists have followed and still following his path. Recently, we have seen how journalists in the private establishments have reported corruption, social injustices among others.

Despite this, indices point towards a significant reduction in the number of investigations by journalists. This has largely been linked to organisational and political factors. Majority of the independent media outlets lack personnel who can conduct investigations. Beyond this, lack of funding is crippling the journalism practice. With the decline in income through advertising, these outlets cannot fund investigative journalism.

In spite of these challenges, some organisations are producing investigative news to the public. Fisayo Soyombo remains the country’s top-notch investigative journalist. He has conducted investigations that revealed socioeconomic injustices against the less privilege. He has also called out a number of public and private establishments on social networking sites, calling their attention to issues and needs that affected their stakeholders.

Is Foundation for Investigative Journalism Entrenching Call-Out as a New Journalism Model in Nigeria?

“Two things we want to do with the foundation: Help people have access to social justice, and also, engage in investigative reports that speak for the voiceless and expose injustice,” Fisayo Soyombo said in a recent interview. With this foundation, Soyombo and his team intends to offer value to the voiceless people in Nigeria.

“Only one expectation — that we are able to genuinely reduce suffering of people who don’t deserve to suffer. Once we are able to count just a few people whom we have helped get access to social justice, we are fulfilled. At the end of the day, it may be just a drop in the ocean. We will rather take that than nothing.”

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UETRzs8m2mc

There is no doubt Fisayo Soyombo and his team will revive investigative journalism practice in Nigeria with call-out strategy, creating a new model for practicing the journalism type. The intent of constantly giving voice to the voiceless towards getting justice is an approach that would ensure effective socioeconomic justices restoration and the entrenchment of humanistic values expected from participatory democracy.

The 3 Big Ideas At Amazon – By Jeff Bezos

By

Ndubuisi Ekekwe

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February 3, 2021

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According to Amazon Founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, “The three big ideas at Amazon are long-term thinking, customer obsession, and a willingness to invent,”. With that mentality, he pioneered new industrial sectors and changed the ordinance of commerce. Amazon pioneered renting cloud computing infrastructure after bringing ecommerce to Americans.

To a large extent, these are orthogonal domains but he executed and operated them brilliantly. The end result: Amazon’s shares have risen 225,233% since the web retail pioneer went public in 1997!

Amazon now employs 1.1 million around the world. In the United States, it comes behind Walmart as the private sector largest employer of labour. Today, Amazon is a digital conglomerate with tentacles in ecommerce, web cloud services, robotics, logistics and voice recognition. And in these domains, it is one of the top three, if not the category-king.

Jeff Bezos is stepping down for a new boss, to take over this big ship: “I’m excited to announce that this Q3 I’ll transition to Executive Chair of the Amazon Board and Andy Jassy will become CEO. In the Exec Chair role, I intend to focus my energies and attention on new products and early initiatives. Andy is well known inside the company and has been at Amazon almost as long as I have. He will be an outstanding leader, and he has my full confidence.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will relinquish his role as the retail behemoth’s chief executive this summer, passing the baton to Andy Jassy, the current chief of Amazon’s hugely profitable cloud computing division. Bezos, who in recent years had already “stepped back from much of the day-to-day business,” will take on the role of executive chairman once Jassy transitions into the CEO role. “Right now I see Amazon at its most inventive ever, making it an optimal time for this transition,” Bezos told employees in a statement reflecting on his 27 years at the helm. (INNews)

For Amazon to have picked Andy Jassy, the Board saw its future via cloud computing, and not necessarily ecommerce. The cloud computing unit of Amazon provides one of the largest margins in the digital conglomerate.

Jeff Bezos announced his departure as CEO of Amazon earlier this week, tapping Andy Jassy as his successor. Jassy, the head of Amazon Web Services and a longstanding member of the S-team — a group of Amazon’s top executives — will step into Bezos’s shoes in the third quarter of this year. Jassy has led AWS since before its launch in 2006 and he has been widely heralded for transforming Amazon into a leader in the cloud infrastructure market. Jassy being tapped as Bezos’s heir highlights “how important the cloud is becoming to our economy.”

Nations rise when pioneering entrepreneurs emerge. America has Bezos, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, etc. Nigeria needs such for the nation to rise.

Once Again, Nigerian Government Extends NIN Exercise Window

By

Samuel Nwite

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February 3, 2021

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As controversy continues to trail the timing of the ongoing NIN registration, the Federal Government has once again announced that the exercise has been extended to enable more mobile network subscribers to enroll. The mandatory NIN registration was ordered at a time when Nigeria is grappling with the exigencies of COVID-19, especially the spread.

The exercise has attracted backlash and condemnation as it encourages crowding in the face of the pandemic that requires social distancing. The federal government has been repeatedly urged to extend the window of registration to limit the number of people who go to registrations centers at a time.

In December, the NIMC registration was extended by six weeks; from 30th to 19th January 2021, and there was three weeks extension, (Dec. 30th to Feb. 19) for subscribers with NIN to link it.

The grace windows are obviously not enough as many are yet to register and link their SIMs.

Thus, in a statement signed by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, and Mr. Kayode Adegoke Head, Corporate Communications, National Identity Management Commission on Feb. 1, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy announced that the registration and linking exercise has been extended by further eight weeks.

The ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) and Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) integration exercise has been extended by 8 weeks, with a new deadline of April 6, 2021.

This message was conveyed by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) during the meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce on NIN-SIM registration held on February 1, 2021. Dr Pantami stated that the extension is to give Nigerians and legal residents more time to integrate their NIN with the SIM.

The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Minister and attended by key stakeholders, including the EVC/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), DG/CEO of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), DG/CEO of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). Others include the MD/CEOs of MTN, Airtel, 9Mobile, Ntel, Spectranet and SMILE, as well as the Chief Operating Officers (COO) of Globacom.

It was reported that a total of 56.18 million NINs have been collected by the mobile network operators. Each NIN is usually tied to an average of 3 to 4 SIMs and this infers that the current figure accounts for a significant portion of the existing SIMs. This number of NINs collected represents a significant increase when compared with the 47.8 million reported by the Technical Committee on January 18, 2021.

Furthermore, over 1, 060 registration centres for NIN have been activated and made operational by NIMC across the country, while Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have opened hundreds of centres and are rapidly deploying resources to open thousands of other NIN enrolment centres across states of the country. This is in line with the policy of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance security and make the process of obtaining NINs easier for Nigerians.

The CEOs of the telcos and the Chairman of the ALTON commended the Honourable Minister for his stellar leadership and commitment to the rapid development of the sector.

Dr. Pantami reiterates the need for Nigerians and legal residents, who are yet to register for the NIN, to be diligent and take advantage of the extension to enrol for their NIN and link with their SIMs. It would be recalled that the 4th of February, 2020 was the initial date of the commencement of the National NIN-SIM Registration Policy.

The Federal Government of Nigeria applauds all Nigerians and persons of other nationalities for their understanding, cooperation and for enthusiastically participating in the exercise. The Honourable Minister also commended the efforts of NIMC, NCC, MNOs and all other relevant government and private sector organisations for their unflinching support towards the success of the exercise.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his satisfaction with the progress made regarding the NIN-SIM linkage and commended the Honourable Minister and all stakeholders for their roles. He encouraged citizens to take advantage of the extension to fully participate in the process.

The Honourable minister implores applicants to follow the safety guidelines at all the NIN enrolment centers and ensure compliance with the booking system in place. This protocol is in line with the Executive Order on COVID-19 2020 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 27th of January 2021, in keeping with the provisions of the Quarantine Act 2004.

It is noteworthy that Sections 27 and 29 of the NIMC Act 2007 provides for the mandatory use of NIN for transactions, including application and issuance of a passport, opening of personal bank accounts, purchase of insurance policies, voter registration, obtaining credit, among others.

The Need for Nigerians to Embrace Informal Education

By

Ozioma Okey-Kalu

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February 3, 2021

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It is a common knowledge that the standard of education in Nigeria does not prepare Nigerians for competitive jobs, especially in the private sector. This poor education standard is caused by various factors, which include poor funding of schools by the government, use of inappropriate teaching methods by the teachers, overcrowding in public schools, dilapidating infrastructure, poor incentives for teachers, theory-based curriculum, and so on. Many parents send their children to private schools, hoping that they will obtain the best education the country could offer. However, despite efforts made by many Nigerian schools, their products encounter challenges when dealing with world class projects. They feel lost because they lack knowledge on how to handle certain issues.

To date, many Nigerians believe they should be taught everything they needed to know by their teachers. For any knowledge they lack, they blame their teachers. People like this insist that learning only takes place within the enclosure of a classroom, where a rigid curriculum is used by a teacher to impart knowledge, give tests, grade the tests, and determine the right the best person in the class based on the class grading system. These people assume that only people that pass through such an education system are bound to succeed because they have been taught everything they should know. As a result, when they leave school and meet a different world out there, which their classroom knowledge could not subdue, they turn around to blame their teachers, schools, education system, and, indeed, the country. Of course, no one should blame them because they were not told the entire truth.

However, this same Nigeria that has a low standard of education has been able to produce world class intellectuals, inventors, entrepreneurs, athletes, and so on. This makes one wonder whether those progressing pass through the same school system others did. Of course, many had the opportunity of going for further studies, training, and courses abroad before they achieved their feat but there are still those that did not cross the Nigerian border before they wrote their names with the indelible ink. The only secret here is that these men and women did not depend only on the knowledge they gathered from schools; they were products of informal education.

Informal education is simply the type of education that takes place outside the classroom. It is the type of education that is not restricted by curriculum, formal tests, grading, and other conventions found in formal schools. It is the form of education that existed in some parts of Nigeria, especially the Eastern part, before the coming of the colonialists. It is the type of education that focuses on students’ interests and nurtures them to bring out the best in them.

The importance of informal education can never be overemphasised. As implied earlier, it helps students to acquire the knowledge they missed in formal learning. Because it has no rigid curriculum students must adhere to at any given point in time, informal education makes learning relaxed and stress-free. Furthermore, its teaching method is practical and not theory-based as seen in formal education. And it teaches through real-life experiences instead of abstractions. In a country like Nigeria, where formal classroom activities could not provide students with information and prerequisite training that will give them the advantage to compete with their peers from different parts of the world, informal education is the best way out of lack of knowledge.

Sources of Informal Education

There are different places an individual can obtain knowledge outside the formal classroom. Family, religious organisation, and peer groups are the ones to come to hand easily. However, for professional development, it is best if the following avenues are considered:

Webinars, seminars, conferences, and other gatherings that allow exchange of real life ideas between experts and amateurs.
Coaching and Mentorship: These methods have been in existence since the beginning of time; and they work all the time.
Tutorials and Courses: This can be online or offline. The good thing about tutorials is that they target those specific areas at any given time. People who avail themselves for courses and tutorials, even free ones, become experts within a short time. One of the best ways of learning something quickly right now is through YouTube channels. It has brought informal classrooms to everybody’s doorstep.
Articles in blogs, newsletters, and magazines. Even though some of these articles may be opinion-based, they are still related to the writers’ experiences and perspectives. At least by reading them from time to time, you will have access to people’s experiences, discoveries, methodologies, mistakes, and victories.
Books: Irrespective of topics and genres, books of any sort can pass on knowledge. There are many free e-books today donated by their writers to spread knowledge and wisdom. Those who discovered this early have been ruling the world.

Remote work is the future of work and Kreek Africa is powering the transition

By

Suzzy Dziedzorm Tettey

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February 3, 2021

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There is no doubt that the operations of many businesses have changed over the past year. The traditional form of hiring and working has seen a drastic change, especially during this pandemic, paving the way for the growing popularity of freelancing in Africa.

Employees who are currently engaging with their employers remotely or are unemployed are constantly exploring the need to have multiple income streams. Increasingly, businesses are hiring freelancers and remote workers for both short term and long-term work. This preference arises from the simple fact that hiring freelancers is a cheaper alternative to getting quality work done.

The traditional hiring method can be costly for businesses in times such as this. It is also a barrier to creative expression for freelancers. As more businesses on the continent are exploring remote work and freelancing, it makes financial sense, especially during a crisis, to provide an African solution to a global problem.

Kreek Africa seeks to break the limitations of the standard 9-5 work structure by adding some flexibility to the work structure of many businesses. This opens up multiple streams of income for the continent’s workforce.

Who is Kreek Africa?

It is a freelance portal aimed at connecting freelancers from across Africa to businesses globally. Presenting a smart way of doing business by putting freelancers and clients in Africa on a platform to connect and collaborate, Kreek Africa has redefined the standards and perceptions of working in Africa.

What sets Kreek Africa apart from other platforms is that it believes in the African spirit of connections. It seeks to meet the needs of the African business community one connection at a time to bring together freelancers and employers in a positive way that challenges and changes the way the continent does business.

Not only is the platform unique to the freelancers and employers, but Kreek Africa is also made up of a competent team dedicated to ensuring that everything on the site is up to par. The Kreek Africa team is a group of passionate individuals with a deep understanding of the setbacks that accompany the traditional work structure.

“We prioritize trust in the way our platform is used for secure and transparent transactions. We respect professionals and businesses from across all fields and encourage collaboration and tolerance to solve individual needs. We also value accountability in how the platform encourages all parties to take responsibility for their activities”, Suzzy Tettey, COO.

Key Features and Benefits

An easy to navigate website

The greatest advantage of the Kreek Africa site is usability.

The platform is easily accessible on laptops as well as mobile phones. This means that the users will be able to access it anywhere, anytime.

Safety is their priority

Kreek Africa understands the need for privacy and security. Layers of verification protocols are in place to ensure that only the best talent is enabled on the platform.

To ensure security and safety, the site has policies and procedures guiding and protecting freelancer interest. They also have guidelines for employers to ensure that project information is safe and secure.

Suspicious activity is quickly detected and resolved.

Disputes Resolution

This is perhaps the unique feature on the platform. It is easy for conflicts to arise over minor disagreements, especially about payment, privacy, sensitive information, or even personality differences. With this understanding, the team goes above and beyond to ensure seamless dispute resolution. This ensures that high standards of quality service delivery are maintained.

Affordable plans

Subscription plans are very affordable. There are free packages for businesses and freelancers who are unable to afford paid packages.

They run several promotions to support freelancers and small businesses in Africa. Some of such promotions are the free $20 referral promo and the free $55 promotion for freelancers and clients respectively.

Multiple categories of projects

From accounting, graphic design, writing, transcription, web development, audio production, and more, there is a project type for every freelancer and business.

Kreek Africa is redefining how the continent is doing business with its people and the rest of the world. Kreek Africa conducts business to empower, inspire and bring up a generation that understands the benefit of remote work, freelancing, and self-employment.

If you would like more information, visit; https://kreekafrica.com/

Call-Out as an Emerging Investigative Journalism Model Practice in Nigeria: The Case of Foundation for Investigative Journalism

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