The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) has charged Nigerian journalists to prioritize accuracy and accountability in their coverage of the oil and gas sector, highlighting the media’s strategic role in driving transparency and national development.
- +PTDF pushes for transparent reporting standards in Nigeria’s petroleum sector
Speaking on Monday in Lagos during the opening of a specialised capacity-building workshop for about 50 media practitioners, Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, Executive Secretary of the PTDF, emphasized that effective reporting in a technical sector requires deep policy and technological understanding.
Speaking on Monday in Lagos during the opening of a specialised capacity-building workshop for about 50 media practitioners, Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, Executive Secretary of the PTDF, emphasized that effective reporting in a technical sector requires deep policy and technological understanding.
Represented by Dupe Kay-Hambolu, Head of Press and External Relations at the Fund, Aliyu noted that as the country’s primary human capacity development agency for energy, PTDF’s mandate naturally extends to empowering the journalists who inform the public.
“In an industry as technical and constantly evolving as oil and gas, effective journalism requires not only timely reporting but also a sound understanding of the policies, technologies, and issues that shape the sector.
“Our story is one of developing skilled manpower, advancing research and innovation, supporting local content, and contributing to Nigeria’s energy future. We believe these achievements deserve to be communicated with clarity, context, and credibility,” Aliyu
He also explained that the program reinforces the enduring partnership between the Fund and the media in amplifying its initiatives and programmes with professionalism, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the relationship through continuous engagement, openness and mutual respect.
In his remarks, Victor Dare, group managing director of BetterWays, who noted that the oil and gas sector represents a key driver of Nigeria’s economy, and accounts for about 65 percent of government revenue, promoting accurate and balanced reporting is critical to improving sector transparency and accountability.
According to Dare, news reporting and broadcasting practice in the oil and gas industry is a crucial part of journalism because of the vantage position the sector occupies in the survival, stability and sustainability of Nigeria as a nation.
He stressed that the workshop was designed to retool and upskill participants to conduct highly specialised and organic reporting, acquire relevant technical knowledge of the oil and gas sector, serve as public confidence builders for the industry, and act as image-building ambassadors for the petroleum industry, especially PTDF.
