By Edward Nnachi,
Ebonyi State-
Southeast, Nigeria
Collaboration between Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the media creates a powerful partnership that drives public awareness, promotes social justice, and strengthens accountability. Working together amplifies their shared goal of safeguarding the public interest.
Media platforms help CSOs share their stories, campaigns, and community issues with a much larger public audience.
Also, partnering with trusted news outlets builds public trust and validates the importance of a CSO’s mission. And media pressure helps turn local advocacy into wider political attention, leading to better laws and government reforms.
In my personal view as a journalist, one of the biggest lessons from 2023 is that credible elections are not secured on election day alone. They are built through consistent public engagement, access to accurate information, strong institutions and collective accountability long before voters arrive at polling units. This is where the media and civil society organisations have a unique and complementary role to play.
I have seen firsthand how powerful information can be. Accurate reporting can expose wrongdoing, hold leaders accountable and empower citizens to make informed choices. At the same time, civil society organisations often have deep community networks, grassroots credibility and the capacity to mobilise citizens around issues that matter. Despite pursuing similar goals, media organisations and CSOs do not work together as they should.
Repeatedly, collaboration only happens during election periods or in response to crises. Journalists sometimes view CSO groups only as sources, while these groups occasionally see the media mainly as channels for publicity. As a result, opportunities for strategic cooperation are often missed.
This is why the importance of the Nigeria Network of NGOs Journalism Fellowship 2026 cannot be overemphasised.
The Fellowship is an initiative of the Nigeria Network of NGOs aimed at raising awareness that the survival of Nigeria’s democratic and civic space depends on the quality, courage, and versatility of its journalism. The program supports experienced reporters focusing on human rights, civic space, and civil society organizations.
Speaking at the onboarding training for the selected journalists , the Executive Director of the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGOs), Oyebisi Oluseyi stated that the 10-month fellowship was a clarion call to Nigerian journalists to strengthen the nation’s democracy and civic space through quality and versatile reportage.
“The fellowship bridges two worlds that have operated in parallel for too long, civic space and development impact, and equips journalists to report across both with equal rigour and equal editorial ambition.
“In concrete terms, it means the journalists are about to become some of the best-equipped journalists in Nigeria, not because of any single tool or technique, but because they will be operating at the intersection of civic space expertise, development data literacy, digital verification capability, multi-format production skill, and institutional safety infrastructure. That combination does not currently exist in any other fellowship programme in this country,” Oyebisi said.
Finally, at a recent CSOs and media roundtable with the theme: “Building Stronger Media-CSO Partnerships for Credible, Peaceful and Inclusive Elections in Nigeria” , convened by the Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nigeria, a journalist and the Deputy President of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Mr. Fidelis Mbah, said , “The discussions during the roundtable reinforced the need for stronger and more intentional partnerships. Imagine the impact of journalists and civil society groups jointly tackling misinformation, coordinating voter education campaigns, monitoring electoral processes, amplifying citizen voices, and promoting peaceful participation. Together, they can create a more informed electorate and a transparent democratic process.
The digital information environment makes such collaboration even more necessary. Fake news now travels faster. Polarising narratives spread within minutes. Public trust can be eroded long before facts emerge. Neither the media nor civil society can effectively address these challenges alone. Building stronger partnerships is no longer optional; it is essential.”
The above strategic positions highlight and underscore the essence of sustained CSOs and media partnership weakens anti-democratic tendencies and strengthens the civic space in Nigeria.
Edward Nnachi,
An Investigative and development journalist at The PUNCH Newspapers, writes from the Southeast
nnachieddyugbor@gmail.com
08028535702