PTCIJ to launch tools to follow-up Constituency and Capital Projects & a national fact-checking platform in Nigeria
By Chinyere Ogbonna – Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) has announced plans to launch a tool entitled “UDEME”, it is leading-edge initiative that focuses on Nigeria’s public procurement and budget implementation practices.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its Programme Director, Mr. Femi. The statement says that the web platform, UDEME is scheduled to be launched on the 20th of this month. at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Centre, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. According to the statement, the Nigerian media landscape is awash with news of astonishing waste in budget resources for special and zonal intervention projects which had in the past obviously profited little to the grassroots communities they are meant to serve.
It says a total of 274.58 billion has been allocated to Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP) across the 109 Senatorial Districts and 360 Federal Constituencies in Nigeria in the last three years. The statement however, says that in spite of these allocations, there was no commensurate output or benefit to the people of the respective constituencies. It further notes that reports have shown that most times, many of these projects were either abandoned or never executed even though funds were released to implement them.
UDEME the statement adds, is a direct response to problems of budget implementation, accountability in Nigeria and hopes to provide a sustainable response to the overarching problems of corruption in Nigeria.
The term “UDEME” according to the statement, means “My Share”. The word originates from the South-South and South-East parts of the country. Although some civil society actions aimed at tracking budget implementation exist, UDEME is most innovative for its nationwide approach towards the tracking of these projects. More importantly, the web platform would enable journalists and the general public to track and report the state of contracted projects by past and present governments, ultimately providing substantive case studies for law enforcement prosecution and conviction of erring officials.
The statement says the event is scheduled to hold at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Center a hub for social and civic engagements in Nigeria and it is expected that representatives from various government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, diplomatic agencies, media organizations and civil society groups would convene to validate the development of an open source network which exists to promote accountability in the public and private sectors and to institute a culture of fact-checking in the Nigerian media ecosystem. According to the release guest speakers at the event include Prof. Yemi Kale, the Statistician General of the National Bureau of Statistics and Mr. Seun Onigbinde, the Co-founder and lead partner of BuadgIT.
UDEME according to the statement, is one of the numerous PTCIJ initiatives such as DUBAWA which focuses in exposing corruption in Nigeria, and inexorably assisting citizens and pressure groups to demand transparency and accountability from public officials and organizations. It is supported by MacArthur Foundation as well as collaborations with myriad media and IT agencies in Nigeria and the world.
The statement further describes Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) as a non-governmental organization, founded in 2014, to promote truly independent media landscape that advances fundamental human rights, good governance and accountability in West Africa through investigative journalism, open data and civic technology.
In a related development, PTCIJ has also unveiled plans to an inaugurate another online fact-checking platform that would seek to unmask misinformation and propaganda in the public domain. and ultimately empower Nigerians with the knowledge necessary for making a decision. The platform tagged “DUBAWA” which is a Hausa term for “checking” is scheduled to be launched on the 20th of February 2018 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Center.
Over time, the constant influx of information laden with lies and half-truths has posed a damaging implication for the journalistic process, democracy and the Nigerian citizenry. The systematic propagation of information or ideas by an interested party with the intent to influence public decisions is flooded all over social media and traditional media platforms.
As an urgent response, DUBAWA is a non-partisan verification and rating platform which seeks to make use of a multi-pronged approach towards distilling the upsurge of fake news by politicians, the media, public and advocacy figures, groups and institutions. Consequently, DUBAWA is more than just a platform for verification; but a custodian of tools and resources that can be used by media professionals to investigate and produce fact-based reports. It is a community for the general public as the active actors in the making of a functioning and accountable democracy. And it is a platform that promotes the ideals of fact-checking and integrity across newsrooms in the Nigeria.
The venue of the launch, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Center is a hub for social and civic engagements in Nigeria and it is expected that representatives from various government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, diplomatic agencies, media organizations and civil society organizations would convene to validate the development of an open source network which exists to promote accountability in the public and private sectors and to institute a culture of fact-checking in the Nigerian media ecosystem. Guest speakers at the event include Prof. Yemi Kale, the Statistician General of the National Bureau of Statistics and Mr Seun Onigbinde, the Co-founder and lead partner of BudgIT.
DUBAWA is one of the projects of the PTCIJ, with collaborations from various media agencies in Nigeria and the world such as Africa Check (South Africa), Poynter Institute (United States), and Full Facts (United States). For further information, please contact: www.dubawa.org; follow @dubawaNG on Twitter. Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) is a non-governmental organization, founded in 2014, to promote truly independent media landscape that advances fundamental human rights, good governance and accountability in West Africa through investigative journalism, open data and civic technology.
