TheCable

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, will deliver the keynote address at an event organised by Dubawa, an initiative of the Premium Times Centre Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ).

The event, scheduled to be held on November 17 and 18, is aimed at tackling information disorder.

The conference is part of Dubawa’s ongoing #WeekForTruth campaign which began on November 15. The campaign will end on November 20.

A statement issued by the initiative said the event is in an attempt to tackle the information disorder “phenomenon” as it affects different aspects of society and governance.

It said the event will also showcase the research outcomes of Dubawa’s sub-regional research fellowship which has been running for six months.

Dubawa said there will be “high level panels” with participants such as the director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the country director of Amnesty International among others.

The statement quoted Adedeji Adekunle, programme director of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), as saying: “The resilience of democratic accountability and the ability of governments, institutions and citizens to forge a common bond on good governance and the integrity of democracy in our sub-region will depend largely on how we perceive and respond to the current threats of information disorder.

“By the end of the conference, we expect that plausible solutions and ideas which will alleviate the negative effects of information disorder on governance, human rights, elections, healthcare, and other aspects of societal living will be developed and shared.

“The West African scope of the conference will also redefine our problem-solving approach, utilising our commonalities and unique perspectives across the sub-region.”

Dubawa is a non-partisan verification and rating platform designed to help renew West African journalism and democracy through the promotion of a culture of fact-checking and factual public debate.