WSCIJ to host conversation on journalism, civic space in Nigeria

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has announced its November edition of the Journalism and Society Conversations, themed “Policy Brief Presentation and Conversation on Journalism and Civic Space in Nigeria”.

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Motunrayo Alaka, WSCIJ’s chief executive officer, said in a press statement on Tuesday that the virtual event would bring together key decision-makers to evaluate the state of journalism and civic freedoms in Nigeria, as well as discuss practical measures for strengthening institutional accountability and protecting journalists and civic space.

The event is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 10 November, at 11 a.m. on X.

A key highlight of the session will be the presentation of a policy brief drawn from the centre’s 2025 status report, titled “Silenced Voices, Shrinking Space: Civic Freedoms Under Pressure.”

Speakers
The panel features prominent figures, including human rights lawyer Ayo Obe; Peter Maduoma, executive director of the CLEEN Foundation; Edetaen Ojo, executive director of Media Rights Agenda; and Motunrayo Alaka, executive director and CEO of WSCIJ.

The conversation will be moderated by Nabilah Usman, general manager of Radio Now 95.3 FM.

The policy brief

The 2025 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report, “Silenced Voices, Shrinking Space: Civic Freedoms Under Pressure”, presents an analysis of reported civic space violations.

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According to the report, Nigeria recorded 245 incidents of civic space violations in 2025, with state actors involved in 219 of the cases.

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The incidents were documented through systematic monitoring of reports published by 54 media organisations between January and December 2025.

“Data was collected through continuous monitoring of reports on civic space violations across physical and digital spaces. Every incident was verified through cross-checking with multiple credible sources before inclusion in the dataset. Where additional context was required, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted,” the report stated.

The report said incidents reported by multiple media organisations were counted as a single verified incident to avoid duplication.

It added that the 245 incidents analysed were referenced in reports published by 54 media organisations, comprising 16 newspapers with print and online editors, 26 online-only news platforms, 10 television stations and two radio stations.

The report said the findings showed that Nigeria’s civic space remained under significant pressure despite the country’s democratic system and constitutional guarantees of fundamental rights.

It also identified the Nigeria Police Force as being involved in 118 of the 219 incidents involving state actors.

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