Freelance editor and investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo who is one of the three finalists for the International Journalist of the Year 2020 award by the One World Media has a track record of outstanding performance back in his days as a student journalist.
He was the winner of the 2009 Student category of the Nigeria Young Journalist of the Year Awards organised by Media Career Development Network after which he has won many local and international awards.
The 2009 ‘prophetic’ citation of Soyombo’s future in the profession which has come to pass is reproduced below.
” One clear fact about the present and future of journalism in Nigeria is that it will be dominated by non-journalism graduates.
But for passion and natural writing skill, why would a student of Animal Science in Agriculture department devote a good part of his campus life to writing and publishing activities on campus and commenting on national issues in campus and national newspapers?
This is the stuff that Soyombo, a graduate of the University of Ibadan, now a youth corps member in Lagos State at The Guardian newspaper is made of.
Based on his outstanding journalism skills, Soyombo justifiably comes highly recommended and our judges have every indication they need to confirm that he is one of the young journalists to watch in the country.
According to the Union of Campus Journalists of the University of Ibadan, Soyombo held different offices spanning four years between his 200 level and 500 levels as News Editor, Mellanby Hall Press, News Editor, Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), Editor-in-Chief, UCJ, Chairman, Guild of Editors, UCJ and Executive President, UCJ.
READ ALSO: What online publishers must do to survive- Soyombo ex- Cable, ICIR, SR editor
For three years, he also ran Critically Speaking, said to be UI’s opinion column with the widest readership. He began writing for The Guardian on Sunday as a 100 level student in 2005 and also writes for CAMPUSLIFE of The Nation since his 300 level days in 2007.
His past awards for his campus writings are too numerous to mention.
His three entries for this award are Power Disaster: UI Students Whimper in ‘Powerlessness’, a news feature in The Guardian, Two minutes of madness that cost me my eyes, also in The Guardian on Sunday and Students and UI’s new agenda in The Nation Newspaper.
Let it be noted that the student category of this award was stiffly contested more than the main category. Soyombo narrowly beat the runners up; Vincent Nzemeke of the Mass Communication Department, Delta State University, Abraka and Hannah Ojo of the English Department of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
That Soyombo won this award is an acknowledgement of his untiring efforts to use various medium to exhibit his writing skills. As a true Agriculture graduate which he is, he has allowed the seed of journalism which the almighty God sowed in him to germinate, he has carefully natured it over the years and today is one of his well-deserved bountiful harvest time.
His career goal according to him is “to deliver first-rate journalistic writing and speaking practices within professional and ethical media environments that effectively renders a helping voice to the downtrodden”
We wish him well and have no doubt that Nigerian journalism will be better off with young journalists like Fisayo Soyombo.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Soyombo Oluwafisayo, Winner of the inaugural student category of the Nigeria Young Journalist Awards.
