The Executive Director of International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan has opened up on the reason his organisation rejected grant from a foreign body.
Aiyetan who was the lead discussant at the Press Week of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Akwa Ibom State Council on the theme: National Unity, General elections: The role of Journalism on Monday hinted how he rejected a $200,000 grant from a foreign body after the application had been approved for what he perceived as ‘undue editorial interference.’
According to him, the organization wanted him to always send any investigative story done by his organisation to them for onward scrutiny and approval by the United States Department.
The ICIR Director said he found the condition funny and as an act of corruption but decided to reject the loan to avoid conflict of interest in the performance of their duty.
He used the forum to encourage journalists to revive the practice of Investigative Journalism as a means to hold government at all strata accountable to the populace.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong said journalism is central to the defence and protection of democracy and, a force for progressive social change.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, Ememobong who queried whether journalists’ desire the sustenance of democracy, challenged media practitioners to internalize the virtues they seek in others
“Let us internalise the virtues we seek in others. We are asking that journalists should investigate what is published by the Federal Ministry of Finance and what goes to Local Government Areas and States. This outing should birth the newness of heart and union.
“We shall be asking questions and demanding answers from those aspiring to lead; we shall engage them, we shall compel them to concentrate on the issues of development and raising the living standard of our people, away from fruitless personality attacks and needless resort to fanning the embers of ethnic discontent.
“In all these, we shall be nonpartisan. The NUJ shall continue to throw its doors wide open to all the political parties, all the candidates and to all those aspiring for one elective position or the other. We shall be politically non-aligned, but ideologically aligned with the people of this State to elect leaders they can trust to give them meaningful lives.
“I urge our members to remain committed to ethical journalism and see the future of the State as paramount in all their political writings.’’
Welcoming the guests, the state Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Amos Etuk said the union would be interested in who becomes what in the state and would therefore be vitally involved in the politics of 2023 as strategic stakeholders in what happens to the State.
“We shall be asking questions and demanding answers from those aspiring to lead; we shall engage them, we shall compel them to concentrate on the issues of development and raising the living standard of our people, away from fruitless personality attacks and needless resort to fanning the embers of ethnic discontent.
“In all these, we shall be nonpartisan. The NUJ shall continue to throw its doors wide open to all the political parties, all the candidates and to all those aspiring for one elective position or the other. We shall be politically non-aligned, but ideologically aligned with the people of this State to elect leaders they can trust to give them meaningful lives.
“I urge our members to remain committed to ethical journalism and see the future of the State as paramount in all their political writings.”
