Ebonyi PUNCH Correspondent, Two Others Emerge Among 3 Fellows In NNNGOs Journalism Programme

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎The Nigeria Network of NGOs has announced the selection of three Nigerian journalists, including PUNCH Newspapers Correspondent in Ebonyi State, Edward Nnachi, for the first phase of its Journalism Fellowship programme. ‎

‎The fellowship, an initiative of the organization, is designed to raise awareness that the survival of Nigeria’s democratic and civic space depends largely on the quality, courage, and versatility of journalism. ‎ ‎Other journalists selected for the programme are Vangawa Bolgent, Editor at Gazette News in Borno State, and Nkechi Macaulay, a Reporter and Producer at 103.5FM (Radio One, Lagos), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. The fellows represent the country’s key regions, with Bolgent from the North-East, Macaulay from the South-West, and Nnachi from the South-East. ‎

‎According to the organisers, the three fellows emerged after a rigorous selection process from a total of 368 applications received for the first phase of the programme. ‎ ‎The 10-month fellowship, which runs from March to December 2026, will expose participants to professional mentorship, periodic capacity building, and data-sharing sessions, alongside post-fellowship engagements. ‎ ‎The selected journalists will also receive editorial support to produce in-depth and well-researched reports on civic space, freedom of expression, and social justice for publication and broadcast.

‎ ‎Speaking during a four-day training organised to kick-start the initiative, the Executive Director of the Nigeria Network of NGOs, Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, described the fellowship as a clarion call for Nigerian journalists to strengthen democracy through impactful and versatile reporting. ‎ ‎He noted that shrinking civic freedoms, misuse of laws such as the Cybercrime Act, and the rise of misinformation across digital platforms have made it imperative to equip journalists with the necessary tools to navigate and report effectively in the evolving media landscape. ‎ ‎Oluseyi added that the fellowship goes beyond conventional training, aiming instead to build a cohort of journalists capable of producing human-centred development stories, data-driven reports, podcasts, and policy-shaping opinion pieces. ‎ ‎He further stressed the need for stronger collaboration between journalists and civil society organisations, noting that both sectors are interconnected pillars of Nigeria’s democratic framework. ‎ ‎He urged the fellows to approach development stories with the same level of urgency and investigative depth as political reporting, emphasizing that issues such as healthcare access, education, and climate change are critical to the country’s future. ‎ ‎One of the beneficiaries, Nnachi, is an investigative and development journalism enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering human-interest, climate, migration, and development issues. ‎