By Seye Babalola
The Head of Special Investigations and Fact-checking at PRNigeria, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, has been appointed as the executive secretary of the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR).
His appointment which takes immediate effect was contained in a statement on Monday signed by NADIR’s head of Information and ICT, Fom Gyem.
According to the statement, Dahiru a serial award-winning development investigative journalist and fact-checker who was overall Campus Journalist of the year 2020 in Nigeria is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in the discharge of his new role.
With several well-researched fact-checks and investigative reports across various platforms to his credit, Dahiru has won several awards, including the 2021 Best West African Fellow on the Kwame Kari Kari, Premium Times Center for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) Research and Fact-checking Fellowship and Professor Ali Pantami Prize for the Best Graduating Student in Digital Journalism at Bayero University Kano.
An author, his award-winning “101 Fake News on EndSARS” bagged the SABRE African PR Award in Tanzania as well as IPRA Golden World Award 2022
He is a 2023 Mandela Washington Fellow and will be undertaking his Fellowship in June this year at the Presidential Precinct, Charlottesville, Virginia in the United States of America (USA).
PRNigeria reports that NADIR is a non-profit, non-political organization that serves as a journalism for digital inclusion and fact-checking platform that promotes positive digital narratives and enhances digital literacy for guaranteed national growth.
Its aim, among others, is to counter-influence operations that bring about misinformation and fake news, promote digital programmes, champion digital awareness creation, advance internet freedom, and promote digital inclusion.
According to Miss Gyem, NADIR’s Board of Trustees/Directors express excitement about his appointment and are confident that he would discharge his duties diligently.
Dahiru’s appointment as the executive secretary of NADIR is expected to further enhance the organization’s efforts in promoting digital inclusion, fact-checking, and enhancing digital literacy.
