FOURTH WOLE SOYINKA MEDIA LECTURE SERIES BILLED TO FOCUS ON NIGERIA’S SECURITY

By Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism

'Media and civil liberties when the clouds of fear gather' will be the theme, as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism hosts its Fourth Media Lecture Series on Friday 13 July, 2012, at the NECA Building, Alausa Secretariat Lagos by 10:00am.


Mallam Mohammed Haruna, the Chief Executive of the Citizens Communication Limited and a respected political analyst, will be the key speaker at the event which would also field representatives of the security agencies, media, academia and civil society organisations as discussants, to allow for a robust and intellectually stimulating session whose recommendations will thereafter be published and forwarded to key stakeholders.


The Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series is designed to periodically examine topical issues that impact on perceived performance of the media, on the health of our country, and its democracy. It hopes to contribute to the body of knowledge of practitioners as well as increase awareness and debate around media practice and social political development in the country.


The programme, first held in 2008, has since 2009 been hosted traditionally on July 13, which this year is Professor Wole Soyinka's 78th birthday, to honour the illustrious African whom the Centre is named after, while drawing attention to current national issues.


The Centre chose the theme 'Media and civil liberties when the clouds of fear gather' to put a searchlight on the critical issue of insecurity in the country today, especially with the insurgency of terrorist groups, and the dilemma our media faces in prosecuting its democratic obligations under delicate conditions that strain professionalism, and accountability against other values like patriotism.


The Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture series has in its wake respected personalities like; Professor Harry Garuba of the African Institute, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Dr. Olatunji Dare, an Associate Professor of Journalism at Bradley University, Peoria Illinois USA and a former editorial page editor of The Guardian Newspaper; and Professor Bayo Olukoshi, Director of United Nations African Institute of Economic Development and Planning (UNIDEP), Dakar as guest speakers.


Attendance of the lecture programme is open to all members of the general public.



Signed: Motunrayo Alaka, Centre Coordinator


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The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) is a non-governmental organisation with a vision to stimulate the emergence of a socially just community defined by the ethics of inclusion, transparency and accountability through support to journalists. The Centre is named after Professor Wole Soyinka in recognition of his life-long work in support of the freedom of expression, freedom to hold opinion and freedom to impart them without fear or favour and without hindrance or interference.