Strategically Impactful
FIJ: Undercover for Systemic Change
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) is a non-profit newsroom committed to holding power to account through deep investigative reporting. FIJ focuses on corruption, social justice, and systemic failures. They aim to ease and influence their audience’s everyday decision-making by bypassing propaganda and delivering factual information through stories that drive institutional change and spark public discourse.
- Nigeria
- Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ)
- 2024
MAIN REVENUE MODEL
> The Story
Obtaining a Police Character Certificate (PCC) should be a stringent and credible process. Yet, Daniel Ojukwu of FIJ uncovered that, in Nigeria, these certificates could be easily purchased without background checks. Over the course of eight months, Ojukwu led this investigation, conducting undercover operations in coordination with relevant authorities, analyzing available data and testing the system with real-life scenarios to expose the loopholes. Daniel went undercover to prove that even convicted inmates could obtain valid PCCs remotely, highlighting systemic flaws that could endanger international trust and public safety.
Impact Summary:
External Institutional Impact
Multiple policemen involved in the PCC fraud were arrested and dismissed. Nigeria’s police force initiated reforms to harmonize data between the police and prison services. A new model was proposed to eliminate human contact in PCC issuance, aiming to close oopholes enabling corruption. The Nigeria Police Force appointed a consultant to assist Nigerians facing challenges with the Police Character Certificate process, aiming to address ongoing issues and reduce corruption in the system.
External Individual Impact
The story's increased public awareness led citizens to report extortion attempts and seek guidance from FIJ on legal PCC acquisition.
Internal Individual Impact
Daniel enhanced his resilience and safety measures, learning to balance empathy with accountability when facing threats. This investigation earned Daniel a finalist spot in the Nigerian Investigative Journalist of the Year awards.
