THE International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has trained civil society organisations (CSOs) in the North-West on Promoting Democratic Governance Project.
Speakers at the training, held in Kano state on Thursday, October 19, emphasised the importance of collaboration between media and CSOs to promote good governance by making leaders accountable.
The training, part of The ICIR Promoting Democratic Governance Project, was sponsored by the US Embassy in Abuja.
The Centre organised it to build media practitioners’ and CSOs’ capacity to collaborate, promote accountability and good governance, and make the CSOs understand social media as a critical advocacy tool.
In his opening remark, the Executive Director of The ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, urged the CSOs to collaborate with the media to achieve accountability and promote good governance.

“Regardless of the sector in which civil society organisations work, there should be a collaboration with the media to achieve the common goal of accountability and good governance. We should be able to promote transparency and amplify our impact in society,” he said.

In his remarks, the U.S. Embassy spokesperson Gilbert Morton commended the Centre for bringing civil society organisations and journalists together for the second part of the project.
“As you well know, CSOs, just like the press, play an important role in promoting transparency and accountability by government”.
I quite like the idea of having them work together on specific projects, as this will deepen the reports and provide more insight for the public.
He stated that the United States supports journalists and CSOs that promote transparency and advocate accountability, “as evidenced by our support for this workshop and other capacity-building programmes. In addition, by fostering an environment where investigative journalism can thrive, the U.S. government contributes to creating a robust and vibrant civil society.”
The ICIR Promoting Democratic Governance project was launched earlier this year.

It was designed to build journalists’ capacity in investigative reporting, fact-checking, solutions journalism, using the Freedom of Information Act, reporting in hostile or unsafe environments, and sensitising journalists on safety and security.
The Centre also organised it to equip journalists with the requisite tools and techniques to uncover sleaze and ensure public officials are held accountable.
Blessing Otoibhi is a Multimedia Journalist and Anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting. You can shoot her a mail via Botoibhi@icirnigeria.org or connect on Twitter @B_otoibhi