From Segun Babatunde in Bauchi
WikkiTimes, an investigative and data journalism medium, is set to launch the Umaru Pate Accountability Reporting Fellowship on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
Named after Professor Umaru Pate, Vice Chancellor of Federal University Kashere, the fellowship offers six months paid-internship to young graduates in investigative, data and fact-checking journalism.
WikkiTimes, Founded in 2018, is launching the fellowship in recognition of Pate’s outstanding contributions in the field of Journalism and to mark the professor’s 59th birthdate.
A renown communication scholar, and academic of international repute, Pate is the pioneer Dean, of the Faculty of Communication, at Bayero University Kano.
As a Professor of Media and Society and an advocate of investigative journalism, Pate has won several international grants for the Faculty of Communications at BUK.
His contribution includes the modification of the Nigerian Journalism curriculum to address emerging trends in the industry.
Commenting on the fellowship, WikkiTimes’ publisher, Haruna Mohammed Salisu said Umaru Pate is one of Nigeria’s finest media scholars.
Salisu explained that Pate has mentored and selflessly supported hundreds of journalists in Nigeria and beyond.
“He has tutored media scholars and has been at the forefront in advancing the frontiers of media scholarship,” he said.
“Inspired by his continuous service to humanity, we are kickstarting a graduate fellowship programme where we intend to train graduates who have a demonstrable interest in accountability journalism.
“For us at WikkiTimes, there is no better way to celebrate Professor Pate than to launch this kind of programme because we believe that doing so will advance the very principles and values Professor Pate stood for years”
The publisher added that in the first year of the fellowship, WikkiTimes will recruit six graduates who have completed the compulsory one-year national service and will be mentored by experienced data journalists and fact-checkers for six months.
“The idea is to help the fellows access the best mentoring opportunities to enable them to hold power to account — in line with the creeds for which Professor Pate stands throughout his career,” Silisu added.