Yemisi Izuora
Six journalists have completed a six-month media fellowship program organized by
Civic Hive, BudgIT’s civic innovation hub.
The programme organizers are committed to raising civic-tech leaders for transforming governance, social issues and creating intersections for civic engagements through technology.
The Civic Hive Media Fellowship Program which started in 2017, featured journalists who were focused on curating and writing human-angle stories, for increased advocacy on thematic areas like budget access, project tracking, use of extractive revenues, social justice, anti-corruption, open governments and transparency. BudgIT’s platform supported and projected these stories with real-time and credible data.
This year, the Civic Hive Media Fellowship featured stories on Gender Inequality, Health, Inclusion and Special needs, Agriculture, Education, Social investment programs, Civic issues and the Extractive industry. The fellows published stories that advanced BudgIT’s efforts on transparency and accountability in governance.
“This cohort was challenging. We had over 300 applications and we needed just six fellows for the program. After the selection, we also had the challenge of transitioning into a virtual edition, due to COVID-19 restrictions. We eventually figured it out and it was superb. The fellows went over and beyond to publish great stories of impact, and that was really commendable’’ said Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, Civic Hive’s Manager.
Civic Hive Media fellowship was well represented by fellows across diverse media spaces, including digital and traditional media. More importantly, as part of our commitment to promoting inclusiveness, a brilliant visually imparied fellow was absorbed into the 2020 cohort.
The Civic Hive Media Fellowship graduates are – Frank Ikpefan, The Nation newspaper; Gbenga Ogundare, Freelance Investigative journalist; Taiwo Adebulu, The Cable; Babatunde Okunlola, Royal FM; Osaruonamen Ibizugbe, ITV Abuja; and Kelechukwu Iruoma, Freelance Investigative Journalist.
At the closeout ceremony on December 5, 2020, the media fellows were reminded of their active roles in nation building. According to Mariam Macaulay, Head of Civic Hive, what the fellows do is a great service to Nigeria and its citizens.
“The fellows have done really well and we wish them success in their future endeavours. We’d also like to encourage more people to apply for and participate in the next cohort of Civic Hive Media Fellowship.” She added.
Civic Hive is committed to providing continuous support to journalists and equipping them with the necessary tools they need for excellence in their fields.