‘He Confirmed Participation Of A Training Before His Death,’ WSCIJ Mourns Renowned Journalist, Rotimi Sankore

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has expressed sadness over the passing of ace journalist and the Executive Director of the Africa Centre of Development Journalism(ACDJ) Rotimi Sankore on Friday April 12, 2024.

The Centre in a statement signed by Executive Director/CEO of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka and released on Monday, described Sankore as a distinguished journalist, trainer, women’s rights advocate and development expert; and a strong supporter of our work at the WSCIJ.

“ He was a member of our faculty and facilitated some of our training programmes between 2019 to 2022.

“He mentored participants in various initiatives, including the Report Women Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) in 2019, the COVID-19 Reality Check project in 2020, the Regulators Media Monitoring Programme (REMOP) on the power sector in 2021 and the Free to Share initiative in 2021.

“As an advocate for gender equality, Rotimi was part of our advocacy team on the leadership of women in news and newsrooms to select media houses in Lagos and Abuja, in 2019.

“His involvement in our work extended to serving as a panelist at the 11th Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series held on Saturday, 13 July 2019 in Lagos, to mark the 85th birthday of Professor Wole Soyinka, WSCIJ’s grand patron.

“He also collaborated with WSCIJ to air three episodes of Public Square on Nigeria Info, 99.3 FM in 2021 to raise discussions on the state of the power sector in Nigeria through investigative reports on electricity supported by WSCIJ,” he stated.

The statement further said that as the Executive Director/Editor-in-Chief of the ACDJ, he was a valued partner of our Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) project.

“Rotimi was dedicated to advancing data-driven journalism and policy advocacy, especially in connection with women and the socially excluded.

“His knowledge, passion, and unflinching support for our work will be treasured forever: and his dedication to journalism and media development, penchant for data application and unalloyed commitment to our collective mission in the deployment of journalism for social change will be dearly missed.

“So, as we collectively mourn the loss of Rotimi, may we draw comfort from the lasting legacies and profound influence he left behind,” he stated.

The statement said being a part of the CMEDIA project, Sankore had confirmed his participation for a training scheduled for next week before his sudden passing.

“In his honour, we have postponed the training to a later date.

“WSCIJ extends deepest condolences to all who knew him; and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, colleagues, media and development community,” the Centre said.