The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria on April 28, 2016, launched the NIGERIAN JOURNALISTS’ SAFETY INITIATIVE (NJSI) and a media roundtable/tweet conference on safety of journalists and media professionals. The initiative was supported by the Open Society Foundation with the overall goal of facilitating a free and safe environment for journalists and other media professionals in the country.
Present at the event were the General Secretary of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Ms. Victoria Ibanga; Treasurer of the Lagos State Council of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mrs Ajayi Theresa, who represented the State Chairman; Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) and Chairman of the Launch, Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye; Director of the International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos, Mr. Lanre Arogundade and Mr. Peter Nkanga, West African Representative of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) who gave the lead presentation.
The event which was attended by mass communication scholars, media experts, editors and reporters from print, broadcast and online media as well as journalism students and civil society activists, also had an experience sharing session by two journalists: Miss Augustina Armstrong-Ogbonna, a freelance journalist and Mr. Godwin Oritse of the Vanguard, who are facing threats over their investigative reports on an alleged illegal dredging of a company in Lagos by Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho, a former interior minister.
Cross section of other participants from the event below.