By Justina Auta
The Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) is set to equip journalists with the skills and strategies needed to navigate the challenges and risks they face while carrying out their constitutional duties.
This is contained in a statement by Mrs Zhiroh Jatau, Manager of Press Freedom at AMDF, on Tuesday in Abuja, ahead of the 2025 Bagauda Kaltho Media Lecture.
Jatau said that the annual lecture, scheduled for Friday, is themed: “Journalism in Turbulent Times: Navigating through the Pressures.”
“The theme is especially relevant given the current climate, where journalists. particularly those who speak truth to power, were targeted by repressive governments that use existing laws to stifle the media,” she said.
She added that the keynote paper would be presented by Dr Kabiru Danladi, a lecturer in the Mass Communication Department at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
“Panel discussants include Mr Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre; Seth Bokpe from Ghana; and Sylvia Nankya from the Uganda Radio Network.
“We take this opportunity to reiterate the need for freedom of information, an end to the harassment of journalists, and the creation of a safe, enabling environment where all human lives can thrive.
“This can only be achieved when journalists are allowed to carry out their role as the Fourth Estate of the Realm without fear or intimidation,” Jatau emphasised.
An Award for Courage in Journalism will also be presented to Kenyan journalist Thomas Mukhwana, who endured harassment and arrest during the #EndFinanceBill protests in 2024.
The AMDF introduced the annual lecture series to immortalise Mr Bagauda Kaltho, a courageous investigative journalist who disappeared between late 1996 and early 1997 due to his journalism work. (NAN)
