By Hafsah Tilde
The Executive Director, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Mr David Ugolor, says illicit financial flows represent one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s economic development, democratic governance and social justice.
Ugolor said this at a two-day capacity-building workshop organised by ANEEJ with support from the European Union under the SecFin Africa Project, that ended in Abuja on Friday.
He was represented by the Deputy Executive Director, Mr Leo Atakpu.
According to him, corruption, tax evasion, trade misinvoicing, money laundering, among other acts, continue to deprive government of resources needed for education, healthcare, infrastructure, security and poverty reduction.
He cited procurement fraud, profit shifting and illegal asset transfers as such other acts with the same effect.
Ugolor said journalists occupy a strategic position in exposing hidden financial crimes through investigative reporting, data journalism and sustained public interest stories that promote transparency and accountability.
He urged journalists to verify facts carefully, protect sources, distinguish allegations from convictions and uphold professional ethics while reporting financial crimes.
“The success of this training will not be measured by attendance or certificates but by the quality of investigations, public awareness, policy conversations and accountability actions that follow,” he said.
The workshop saw journalists being called upon to deepen investigations into illicit financial flows (IFFs) to promote accountability, expose corruption and support Nigeria’s economic growth through sustained public interest reporting.
The SecFin Africa Programme Representative and resource person, Prof. Abdullahi Shehu, described illicit financial flows as funds illegally earned, transferred or utilised across borders, depriving countries of resources needed for development.
Shehu urged journalists to understand the sources, channels and impacts of illicit financial flows, saying accurate, evidence-based reporting would strengthen public awareness, accountability and efforts to combat financial crimes.
Also speaking during the workshop, the Editor-in-Chief and Chief Executive Officer of Premium Times, Mr Musikilu Mojeed, urged journalists to embrace investigative journalism as a tool for exposing illicit financial flows and promoting accountability.
Mojeed said participants examined practical case studies on procurement fraud, shell companies, tax evasion and other illicit financial schemes.
He noted that such investigations could provide valuable intelligence for anti-corruption agencies and strengthen public accountability.
Speaking in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the workshop, ANEEJ Programme Officer, Mr Innocent Edemhanria, said the training was organised to encourage journalists to take greater interest in reporting illicit financial flows.
Edemhanria said participants demonstrated improved understanding of the subject and expressed confidence that more investigative reports exposing illicit financial flows and promoting practical solutions would emerge after the training.
One of the participants, Mr Iliyasu Yakubu of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), said the workshop broadened his understanding of illicit financial flows and equipped him with practical investigative reporting skills.
Yakubu said the knowledge gained had already improved his reporting during the workshop and expressed confidence that it would enable him to produce stronger accountability stories.
Also speaking, a resource person, Mr Taiwo Hassan, said participants had acquired practical knowledge from experts that would enable them to produce accountability journalism capable of exposing illicit financial flows in both the public and private sectors.
According to him, exposing corruption and illicit financial flows would help reduce diversion of public funds meant for education, healthcare and infrastructure while encouraging law enforcement agencies to perform their duties more effectively.
The workshop brought together journalists from different media organisations to strengthen their understanding of illicit financial flows, investigative techniques, legal frameworks and the wider development implications of financial crimes. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Oluwole Sogunle
