Chinedu Okafor
Mr. Kehinde Ogunwale, the Academic Coordinator at DATAPHYTE, has emphasized urgent need for data literacy in journalism, saying that interpreting numbers would significantly improve storytelling, influence policies and foster accountability in Nigeria’s media landscape.
Speaking during a lecture organized by the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Ogunwale explained that data journalism had gone beyond reporting figures as it equipped journalists with tools to inform development strategies.
He said: “We can begin to transform or inform policies and change perspectives by just merely looking at numbers.
“If you are armed with information about the number of poor people living in a community, you can plan a budget or empowerment programme that meets their needs.
Through accurate data interpretation, we can begin to make preparations ahead of a phenomenon. It helps us streamline policies to target specific sectors.”
He, however, noted that the strength of data-driven journalism layered in its potential to foresee and prepare for social or economic issues.
Ogunwale urged journalists and the media organizations to collaborate with government agencies and public institutions in order to verify and strengthen the credibility of information shared with the public.
According to him, a well-analyzed dataset, when fused with facts from public bodies would yield actionable policies.
Addressing concerns about accessibility of data stories to everyday Nigerians, Ogunwale noted that DATAPHYTE was already training aspiring journalists to communicate complex data in simple, relatable ways.
“We are teaching and training people interested in data journalism. This is not only improves understanding but increases readership,” he explained.
Besides, he stressed that interpreting data opens doors to multiple storytelling angles.
He went on: “Numbers help us harmonize diverse perspectives of a single story. With that, we can influence policy decisions and direct attention to neglected issues.”
On the challenges of data journalism, Ogunwale cited poor public interest in number-based storytelling and unreliable government data as major setbacks.
Ogunwale went on: “The 2006 census is a good example. Many Nigerians are now using estimated figures in their research, which weakens data accuracy,” saying” “one of DATAPHYTE’s key goals is to create a generation of data-conscious citizens who will demand transparency and accuracy in government data.
“If the government sees that people are becoming interested in data, they’ll be more careful about the information they release.
“Highlighting broader goal of the initiative, Ogunwale revealed that FUOYE was the sixth university visited by DATAPHYTE in the past four months.
The campaign, he said, aimed to promote accountability, digital storytelling, and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy across academic communities in Nigeria.
We are partnering with institutions, mass communication experts, and students to teach how to interpret and analyze data.” We’re in an age of information, and it is crucial that journalists are data-literate,” Ogunwale concluded.
Photo Credit: Nifesimi Ogungbe
