By Tina Chinyere – Port Harcourt
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with the Transparency International Defence and Security Programme has trained journalists from across the country on investigative reporting aimed at exposing corruption in Nigeria’s defence and security institutions.
The one-day capacity-building workshop, held in Port Harcourt, was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and focused on improving the skills of media professionals in tracking financial irregularities, procurement fraud, and operational misconduct within the defence sector.
CISLAC’s Programme Manager on Defence and Security, Abubakar Jimoh, explained that the initiative was part of broader efforts to strengthen accountability and transparency within the nation’s security architecture. He observed that systemic corruption continues to weaken the efficiency and credibility of Nigeria’s defence operations.
Jimoh revealed that Nigeria’s current “D” rating on the Government Defence Integrity Index highlights the sector’s vulnerability to corruption. He noted that unethical practices permeate personnel administration, procurement procedures, and financial management. According to him, the culture of secrecy in non-sensitive transactions prevents effective oversight and encourages misuse of public funds.
He clarified that while certain operational details must remain classified for security reasons, other publicly funded ventures such as military schools, hospitals, and commercial enterprises should be open to public evaluation. Jimoh further challenged journalists to hold subnational governments accountable for how they manage security allocations, particularly security votes.
In her remarks, Dr. Sophia Daniels, Deputy Director at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, underscored the need for journalists to balance national security with the public’s right to information.
Dr. Daniels emphasized that while sensitive data such as details of arms procurement must remain confidential, information that exposes misuse of resources or promotes transparency should be accessible in the interest of public accountability.
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