At the 6th Fellowship Induction and Award ceremony of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) ReportWomen 2025 Female Reporters Leadership Programme, accomplished female journalists highlighted the critical need for their peers to prioritise impact journalism over conventional reporting practices.
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The Wednesday event in Lagos brought together 12 exceptional fellows who completed the rigorous training programme, with speakers unanimously calling for a transformation in how women approach journalism in Nigeria.
Managing Editor at DevReporting and the programme’s top performer, Mrs. Christiana Alabi-Akande, set the tone by challenging fellow journalists to move beyond profit-driven reporting. “Every journalist should practice ethical journalism. We shouldn’t just go after brown envelopes, but our journalism practice should be impactful and should bring succour to the people, that will bring solutions to the problems bedevilling us as a nation,” she declared.
The call for ethical excellence was echoed by Rasheedat Iliyas, the manager of News and Current Affairs at Harmony FM, who emphasised the unique perspective women bring to storytelling. “The men cannot understand us better than ourselves. They can only try. So, we need to go out there, tell the stories of women – women that are winning, women that are in the background – and bring them to the fore,” Iliyas urged.
A Senior Correspondent at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Aisha Gambo, stressed that female journalists possess the power to drive societal change through their reporting. “Female journalists should build capacity, dare to dream and also give your voice so that you can make an impact in the society,” Gambo advised, noting that success requires only determination and zeal to create positive change.
The programme’s impact on career development was highlighted by Jemilat Nasiru, a staff writer at The Cable, who described the training as a “springboard” for her investigative journalism career. She noted the importance of professional competence: “You should build competence and capacity so you can have the confidence to stand in positions that are really important in the newsroom.”
Nasiru also underscored the irreplaceable value of women’s voices in journalism: “There are some stories that you cannot tell except you are a woman. And it is very important for women to tell such stories so that they are properly told.”
The competitive fellowship programme recognised excellence among its participants through cash prizes and equipment awards. Alabi-Akande claimed the top honour, receiving a laptop and N200,000. Iliyas secured second place with a computer and N100,000, while Nasiru earned third place, taking home a laptop and N50,000.
The complete roster of ReportWomen! 2025 FRLP fellows includes representatives from major Nigerian media outlets: Aisha Gambo (NAN), Bilkis Abdulraheem (Bond FM), Chigozie Victor (Big Cabal Media), Christiana Alabi-Akande (DevReporting), Dana Zagi (Daily Trust), Gloria Attah (ClearView TV), Jemilat Nasiru (The Cable), Juliet Buna (Crest FM), Mary Agidi (The Hope), Melody Ishola (The Punch), Rasheedat Iliyas (Harmony FM), and Temitope Obayendo (Pharmanews).
The programme continues the Wole Soyinka Centre’s mission to strengthen investigative journalism while specifically empowering female voices in Nigeria’s media landscape.
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