HumAngle Expands Northeast Nigeria Operations With New Maiduguri Office
It is a step in the right direction towards improving accessibility and coordinating reports from the Lake Chad region, says Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad Salkida.
With a satellite office now set up in Maiduguri, Borno state capital, HumAngle Media hopes to further consolidate operations in Northeast Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
The Abuja-based non-profit news organisation has, since 2020, reported on conflict situations and humanitarian crises across Africa. It has especially distinguished itself through its coverage of the Boko Haram crisis in northeastern Nigeria, the dynamics of the armed violence, and the various ways it’s affected ordinary lives.
The idea behind the new office, explained HumAngle CEO and Editor-in-Chief Ahmad Salkida, is to better coordinate reporting in the region.
“As a responsible media organisation, we believe that a physical address in one of our largest reporting regions is important. We do not want to be seen by our partners and the subjects of our stories as operating only in a bubble. Our goal is to improve accessibility, accountability, and transparency.”
Salkida adds that the organisation hopes to expand further and have reporting assets in several parts of Africa in the coming years.
HumAngle’s Lake Chad Editor, Abdulkareem Haruna, at the opening on Monday, Jan. 24, described it as a great achievement and opportunity.
“There are a lot of untold stories about the situation people face in relation to the conflict in the Northeast. I think it is very strategic for us to have an office here because it eases the work for us for the purpose of interfacing with news sources and others,” he said.
“Also, it gives us some kind of presence. We cannot be telling stories as important as these and have to maybe be coming all the way from Abuja.”
Haruna added that the new office would also make it easier to build the capacity of upcoming journalists and others interested in covering the conflict situation.
“The work we are doing is not a small one; it is a very large-scale project that requires a lot of hands and here we have a rich reservoir of people who have skills that can be developed,” he explained.
“So we felt having this office here will create an avenue for us to be able to mentor younger journalists who are interested in the kind of stories and work that we do, especially undergraduates here in Maiduguri and in neighbouring states.”
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