THE International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) is set to mark the conclusion of its landmark Open Contract Reporting Project (OCRP) with a close-out ceremony on December 10, 2024, at the Pearl Hotel, Jabi, Abuja.
A statement by The ICIR’s executive director, Dayo Aiyetan, noted that the OCRP, launched in 2017 and supported by the MacArthur Foundation, was targeted at strengthening the capacity of Nigerian journalists to report critically on budgetary and procurement processes, and promoting transparency and accountability across all levels of government.
The ICIR, is an independent non-profit organisation, dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability in Nigeria through investigative journalism.
The Open Contracting Project trained more than 300 journalists from newsrooms across the country, leading to the publication of over 500 investigative reports, many of which made impacts and earned prestigious awards.
Through incisive investigations, The ICIR has exposed irregularities in contract awards, procurement fraud, and mismanagement of public funds. These stories have prompted reforms, including heightened public scrutiny of government expenditures and improved adherence to procurement laws.
This pursuit of accountability has also helped influence policies and strengthened advocacy for transparency.
The close-out event will feature a keynote address by the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu Aliyu, titled “Combating Corruption in Nigeria: The Imperative of Starting with Procurement Fraud.”
A panel discussion moderated by governance expert Joe Abah will follow, with notable panellists including Hamza Lawal, chief executive officer (CEO), Connected Development (CODE); Lucy Abagi, CEO, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC); Gabriel Okeowo, country director, BUDGIT; Victoria Bamas, Editor, ICIR; and development journalist Khadija Bawas.
The event will also celebrate journalists who showed courage and excellence in investigative reporting during the project.
According to the statement, the platform will unveil an Investigative Reports and Impact Dashboard (INRID), a data platform showcasing information on contracts, contractors, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and impactful stories from the OCRP.
“The event will also witness an award ceremony for journalists who have done courageous and outstanding investigative reports in the seven years of the project. The ICIR will also unveil a data dashboard tagged ‘Investigative Reports and Impact Dashboard (INRID), a dashboard with information and data on contracts, contractors, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and impact stories from the OCRP,’ the statement read.
In addition to its dedication to exposing wrongs and holding power to account, The ICIR operates FactCheckHub, a fact-checking platform affiliated with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M