Arinze Chijioke
Winners have emerged across different categories at the 2023 edition of the annual Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.
The award, which is in its 18th year, recognises best practices in investigative journalism across different categories including radio, TV, photo, online and cartoon and then, an overall investigative journalist of the year.
Since its inception in 2005, it has honoured the contributions of 116 finalists, 59 Soyinka Laureates, 13 investigative journalists of the year and 28 honorary awards recipients.
However, this year’s edition of the award did not have an overall winner/investigative reporter of the year, a feat which was achieved by Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo in 2022.
Also, three of the six categories, including radio, photo, and Cartoon did not have winners as the entries did not meet the requirements. The radio category did not have a nominee.
From a pool of 209 entries received and 99 assessed, the board of judges for the 2023 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) selected 11 finalists for the award, among whom were Victor Asowata of The Will Newspaper; Folashade Ogunrinde, a freelance journalist with TV360; Omolabake Fasogbon of ThisDay Newspaper; Sharon Ijasan of TVC News.
Others were Marcus Fatunmole of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR); Chukwuemeka Emenike of New Telegraph; Lami Sadiq of Daily Trust; Ayodele Adeniran of The Guardian; Mary Abayomi Fatile of Radio Nigeria; Kemi Busari of Premium Times; and Beloved John, a freelance journalist with ICIR.
While Kemi Busari, a journalist with Premium Times won the online category with his report titled ‘Baba Aisha Herbal Medicine:’ The deadly concoction consumed by many Nigerians, Sharon Ijasan of the Television Continental (TVC), emerged winner of the Television Category. Her story chronicled the sad realities of trafficked Nigerians in Libya. Also, Lami Sadiq of the Daily Trust Newspaper won the Print category with her story on ‘Organ Exploitation: How Abuja Syndicate Lured Minor For Kidney Harvest.
Victor Asowata emerged as the runner-up with his cartoon titled “Power Grabbers 2023 while Ayodele Adeniran was commended for his photo capturing the plight of Nigerians during the naira scarcity In the photo category.
Each of the winners received a plaque, certificate, a laptop, N300,000 & an international trip while runners-up received a certificate of commendation, a smartphone and N100,000. Commended works also received a certificate of commendation, a hard drive and N100,000.
Prof Lai Oso was awarded the Posthumous Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Human Rights Defender Award for how he promoted investigative reporting and championed press freedom in Nigeria. His wife, Mrs Abimbola Osho was on the ground to receive the award on his behalf.
In her speech, Executive Director of the WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka said that the awardees are journalists whose works embody the principles of excellence and editorial integrity in the persistent pursuit of truth that the Wole Soyinka Award for investigative reporting upholds.
“Each of the stories they told in words, pictures, voices and images; and the investigations they undertook have contributed immensely to achieving our goals as guardians of truth,” she said.
