THE International Centre for Investigative Reporting (The ICIR) has concluded a three-day training program for a select group of journalists on the Open Contract Reporting Project (OCRP).
The program was designed to build journalists’ capacity and enhance their skills in investigative reporting, data journalism, fact-checking, multimedia reporting, the Freedom of Information Act, security for reporting in hostile or unsafe environments, and tracking procurement fraud, among others.
The training took place at Ibeto Hotel, Apo, Gudu District, Abuja, and had journalists from the North-Central and South-East zones in Nigeria.

Beloved John, an Open Contract Reporting Fellowship participant, stated that she applied for the program to acquire the requisite knowledge and skills to report on procurement abnormalities in public sectors across Nigeria.
The ICIR Open Contract Reporting Project is supported by the International Budget Partnership and was organized by the Centre to equip journalists with the tools and techniques to uncover wrongdoing in government and ensure that public officials are held accountable.
Dayo Aiyetan, the Executive Director of The ICIR, highlighted the importance of the training in his opening address and stressed its significance for journalists, stating that it provides them with the necessary skills to uncover wrongdoing in government and ensure public officials are held accountable.

The training enhanced journalists’ investigative and data journalism skills and built their capacity to cover procurement fraud and irregularities in the public sector across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
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Esther Ilesanmi is a Multimedia Journalist with The International Centre of Investigative Reporting.
She is also a Social Media Manager and Trainer who teaches others how to maximize social media effectively.
Esther can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/estherilesanmii
Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @estherilesanmi_