Vangawa Bolgent of The Gazette News joins Punch's Edward Nnachi and FRCN's Nkechi Macaulay as the only three journalists in Nigeria chosen for the prestigious 10-month civic reporting fellowship
- Only 3 journalists selected from over 372 applicants nationwide
- Fellowship focuses on civic space, human rights, and data reporting
- Programme runs for 12 months with multi-format storytelling training
- Fellows represent North East, South East, and South West zones
The Nigeria Network of NGOs has selected only three journalists from a pool of 372 applicants for Phase One of its 2026 Journalism Fellowship, with Vangawa Bolgent, Editor at The Gazette News (Nigeria), named among the beneficiaries representing the North East geopolitical zone.
The two other fellows are Mr Edward Nnachi, Punch Newspapers’ Correspondent in Ebonyi State, who will represent the South East zone, and Nkechi Macaulay, Reporter and Producer at 103.5FM, Radio One Lagos, under the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, who will represent the South West zone.
The announcement was made by the Nigeria Network of NGOs, widely known as NNNGO, following a thorough selection process that drew applications from journalists across the country. The 10-month paid fellowship runs from March 2026 through December 2026.
A Rigorous Selection
The sheer volume of interest in the programme underscores its standing in Nigeria’s journalism community. Of the 372 applications received for Phase One, only three journalists were selected, one per geopolitical zone, representing a selection rate of less than 1 per cent.
Applicants were required to demonstrate a minimum of five years of verifiable professional experience in print, broadcast, or digital journalism. They were also required to provide a formal Letter of Commitment from an editor or media supervisor confirming institutional support to publish or broadcast fellowship work, alongside a demonstrated record of interest and experience in civic space reporting, human rights, or countering foreign information manipulation.
Speaking during the four-day training workshop that heralded the start of the fellowship in March 2026, NNNGO Executive Director Mr Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi described the programme as a direct charge to Nigerian journalists to strengthen the country’s democracy and civic space through quality and versatile reportage.
“This is not soft-skills training,” Oluseyi told the fellows. Addressing the range of stories the fellowship demands, he charged them to report on civil society organisations whose work has been suspended under blanket bans, on young people whose livelihoods are being destroyed by climate change while the organisations are trying to help them navigate regulatory obstruction, and on freedom of expression under structural attack.
“Tell them with the same ferocity you would bring to any political investigation,” he said.
What the Fellowship Entails
The NNNGO Journalism Fellowship is a programme built around the conviction that the survival of Nigeria’s democratic and civic space depends on the quality, courage, and versatility of its journalism.
Over the 10-month period, the three fellows will be immersed in professional mentorship, periodic capacity building, and data sharing, with post-fellowship activities to follow. They will also receive editorial support to produce in-depth, well-researched stories on civic space, freedom of expression, and social justice for publication or broadcast.
The fellowship’s training curriculum covers Nigeria’s legal environment and its relationship with international human rights standards, including the implications of legislation such as the Cybercrime Act and the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 for journalists and civil society organisations. Fellows are also trained in data journalism, multi-format production, investigative reporting, feature writing, opinion columns, and podcast scripting.
Fellowship stories will be republished across partner platforms, the NNNGO website, and selected international newsrooms, extending the reach of each fellow’s work beyond their primary outlet.
Speaking on his selection, Bolgent acknowledged the weight of the responsibility that the fellowship carries.
“It was not just about being selected,” he said. “It was about being trusted with the responsibility to tell stories that truly matter.”
On the role of data in public interest reporting, he added, “Data gives strength to stories. “It helps you move from opinions to facts and from claims to evidence.”
The Three Fellows
Vangawa Bolgent is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Gazette News (Nigeria), an independent digital news publication covering Nigeria, Africa, and the world. He writes investigative features and political analysis, with a focus on North East Nigeria, national governance, and African affairs. His selection places The Gazette News is at the heart of one of the country’s most significant civic journalism initiatives.
Edward Nnachi is an investigative and development journalism enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering and writing human-interest, climate, migration, and development stories for Punch Newspapers from Ebonyi State. His depth in development reporting brings a Southeast perspective to a fellowship focused on civic space and social justice.
Nkechi Macaulay is a Reporter and Producer at 103.5FM, Radio One Lagos, under the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. Her experience in broadcast journalism positions the fellowship’s South West coverage within a medium that reaches Nigerians across communities that print and digital platforms do not always serve.
Together, the three fellows represent Nigeria’s journalism landscape across its geographic, sectoral, and format diversity.
NNNGO and the Civic Space Mandate
The Nigeria Network of NGOs is the first generic membership body for civil society organisations in Nigeria. Established in 1992, it represents over 3,495 organisations ranging from small community groups to large national networks and coordinates advocacy on poverty reduction, human rights, and development across the country.
The journalism fellowship is part of NNNGO’s broader civic space programme, which also includes work on nonprofit regulatory frameworks, civil society capacity building, and collaboration with the West Africa Civil Society Institute to deliver civic space training across the region. The organisation operates on the conviction that a healthy civil society and a credible free press are mutually dependent and that sustained investment in civic journalism is a strategic necessity for democratic governance in Nigeria.
The 2026 fellowship is Phase One of what NNNGO has designed as a continuing initiative. Its long-term ambition is to produce a community of journalists across Nigeria capable of reporting on the civic sector with the rigour, legal literacy, and data competence that public interest journalism demands.
This report was produced by the editorial team at The Gazette News | Independent. Human-Centred. Impactful in line with our commitment to accuracy, fairness, and responsible journalism. Information in this article is based on verified sources available at the time of publication. The Gazette News | Independent. Human-Centred. Impactful may update the story as new facts emerge or additional context becomes available.
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