THE EXECUTIVE Director, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Mrs Motunrayo Alaka, says the centre has trained 537 journalists across Nigeria and Ghana in 11 years.
Alaka made this known on Wednesday in Lagos, during the WSCIJ ReportWomen 6th Fellowship Induction and Award, a Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP).
She said that 11 years ago, the centre set out to confront the silence around women and girls in the news, and to challenge the imbalance of power in the newsroom.
According to her, what began in 2014 as a push for more and better coverage of women’s issues has grown into a movement that insists that at the centre of accountability and democracy is representation.
She said that the movement also insisted that women be included as leaders, agenda-setters, framers and editors.
“At the Wole Soyinka Centre for lnvestigative Journalism (WSCIJ), our purpose has always been clear, investigative and accountability journalism in service of democracy and good governance.
“Through ReportWomen! and its Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP), we have shown that democracy is stronger and governance better when women’s voices are amplified.
“This sixth cohort of FRLP fellows proves the point. With courage, leadership, and uncommon storytelling, they have exposed hidden truths from the digital sex trade to unsafe communities around oil pipelines.
“They have exposed hidden truths from the denial of education for visually impaired girls, gaps in health care in riverine and conflict zones, child labour, sexual violence and the trafficking of underage girls.
“Their work affirms a simple truth: democracy thrives where silence is broken and accountability is demanded. But this is not just about stories. It is about leadership,” Alaka said.
She said that each of the 12 fellows engaged newsroom leaders, mentored younger colleagues and reignited the passion of students, who now saw journalism as a worthy calling.
The executive director said that the 12 fellows reminded journalists that journalism was not just a profession, but also a public trust.
“The results over a decade are humbling, 537 reporters trained across Nigeria and Ghana, 136 investigative stories, 138 leadership projects, six documentaries, seven research reports and a female experts’ guide featuring over 500 credible voices and award initiatives,” she said.
Alaka noted that with the 12 inductees, ReportWomen! now had 98 FRLP fellows, whose work had touched more than 2,930 indirect beneficiaries.
She said that the Report Women Network (REWON) was indeed, becoming a formidable force for accountability and inclusion.
The executive director said that with approval from the WSCIJ Board of Trustees, ReportWomen! would begin a new chapter soon, as it would be registered as an independent organisation under the WSCIJ’s supervision.
“As we mark 11 years of ReportWomen! and induct the 6th FRLP Fellowship cohort, I extend deep appreciation to our donors and partners, The Gates Foundation, Open Society Foundation, Netherlands Embassy, Free Press Unlimited, our mentors, publishers, journalism communities, current fellows, and every ally who has walked this journey with us.
“My charge is simple, let us keep opening doors, challenging practices that work against us, and reimagining journalism as a tool of accountability, democracy and justice.
“Change is never easy, but change is possible when we build it together,” she said.
Also speaking, the Lead Consultant of Strictly Speaking, Mrs Bimbo Oloyede, urged female journalists to embrace the fact that they are women and there was no case of being a second citizen.
Oloyede said that women are just as able as their male counterparts to deliver developmental stories that would make impact.
“They need to focus on continuous learning. It is my advice to female journalists to ensure that for them to be as professional as they possibly can, they need to embark on continuous learning, especially in this digital age,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2025 ReportWomen! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) fellows include Aisha Gambo (NAN), Bilkis Abdulraheem (Bond FM), Chigozie Victor (Big Cabal Media) and Christiana Alabi-Akande (DevReporting).
Others are Dana Zagi (Daily Trust), Gloria Attah (ClearView TV), Jemilat Nasiru (The Cable), Juliet Buna (Crest FM), Mary Agidi (The Hope), Melody Ishola (The Punch), Rasheedat Iliyas (Harmony) and Temitope Obayendo (Pharmanews). (NAN)
