NGIJ Pays Courtesy Visit To National Orientation Agency DG in Abuja
The Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ) has called for a strategic partnership with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to strengthen civic education, combat misinformation, and promote accountability in governance.
The call was made recently when a delegation of NGIJ, led by its National President, Mallam Abdulrahman Aliagan, paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu at the Agency Headquarters in Abuja.
In his address, Aliagan said the mandates of NGIJ and NOA were naturally complementary, noting that while NOA is charged with civic education, value re-orientation and public enlightenment, investigative journalism provides verified facts and evidence that enable citizens to make informed decisions and hold public institutions accountable.
Aliagan described investigative journalism as pro-accountability and pro-transparency, stressing that it is not antagonistic to government but rather designed to strengthen institutions and rebuild public trust.
His words: “Investigative journalism is not anti-government; it is pro-accountability, pro-transparency, and pro-citizen. It exists to strengthen institutions by helping them live up to their mandates.
“Values without facts can be manipulated, and facts without values can be misunderstood. When orientation and truth walk together, they produce informed, responsible and engaged citizens.”
He identified misinformation, declining public trust in institutions, social tension and civic apathy as major threats to Nigeria’s democracy, urging closer collaboration between journalists and NOA to address the challenges through joint public enlightenment campaigns, capacity-building on fact-checking and counter-disinformation, as well as platforms for constructive engagement with the public.
NGIJ President further called for an enabling environment for ethical journalism, access to information and institutional support for investigative reporting, noting that investigative findings should be seen as tools for civic education rather than adversarial attacks on government.
Responding, Issa-Onilu lamented what he described as the steady decline of investigative journalism in Nigeria, arguing that the erosion of depth, accuracy and attention to facts in media practice has weakened the profession and contributed to misinformation and social division.
According to him, journalism has increasingly become superficial, with little emphasis on interpretation, context and fact-based reporting, thereby making it difficult to distinguish between professional journalism and unverified content circulating on social media.
Issa-Onilu stressed that facts are fundamental tools for civic orientation and national unity, warning that when facts are no longer treated as sacred, society becomes vulnerable to ignorance, manipulation and conflict.
The NOA boss said investigative journalism plays a vital role in national development by promoting fairness, balance and objectivity, and by compelling government to do the right thing through informed public scrutiny.
He noted that poor investigative reporting had contributed to knowledge gaps among citizens, particularly on governance and electoral processes, adding that such gaps often fuel misinformation and unhealthy public discourse.
He pledged the agency’s support for NGIJ, offering to facilitate collaboration through NOA’s network of Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers (COMOs) across local governments nationwide, who, he said, provide grassroots feedback to government and could serve as valuable community-level sources of information for investigative journalists.
The DG further proposed the establishment of a joint committee between NOA and NGIJ to explore concrete areas of collaboration, including public enlightenment campaigns, counter-disinformation initiatives and mechanisms for strengthening investigative journalism in the public interest.
Other Members of the NGIJ delegation include Comrade James Ezema, Vice President (Investigation); Mallam Abdullahi Gulloma, National Public Relations Officer; Abdulrahman Obaje, FCT Chapter Chairman; Mr. Leonard Oru; Mr. Kunle Awoniyi; and Falmata Zarna.