PARTNERS WEST AFRICA NIGERIA HOSTS MEDIA WORKSHOP ON POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY

Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), also known as the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, on Wednesday hosted a one-day workshop in Ogun State aimed at strengthening media reporting on police reform and accountability. The training brought together journalists from Lagos and Ogun states, alongside facilitators drawn from the legal, media and non-governmental sectors, to deepen participants’ understanding of police policies, the Police Act and institutional expectations surrounding law enforcement in Nigeria.

Welcoming participants, PWAN Executive Director, Kemi Okenyodo, in an address delivered by Oreoluwa Fatuyi, said the organisation’s mission is to promote the rule of law, citizen participation and improved security frameworks across Nigeria and West Africa. She noted that PWAN also seeks to strengthen good governance and institutional accountability, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity across gender and disability lines, anchored on values of integrity, collaboration, humility and trust.

In the first session, legal practitioner Tosin Osasona, examined the role of the media in Nigeria’s police reform process, identifying underfunding, weak accountability structures, legitimacy crises and poor community cooperation as key reasons reforms have struggled to meet public expectations. He said journalists play a critical role in driving accountability, shaping public norms and sustaining reform conversations.

A second session, anchored by journalist and consultant Odo Diego-Okenyodo, focused on solutions journalism and developmental reporting, stressing the need to frame police reform through policy, legal and institutional lenses rather than sensational headlines. The workshop concluded with interactive discussions, practical IT reporting sessions and group photographs.