Premium Times journalist, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz and 11 others have emerged winners of the 2018 Wole Soyinka Awards for Investigative Reporting.
Abdulaziz, with ‘The Kemi Adeosun expose’ published in Premium Times, won the overall Investigative Journalist of the Year award and the online category.
In the print category, Mojeed Alabi emerged winner for his two-part story, ‘Exposed! Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker In 1.1bn Water Contract Scam’, published in the New Telegraph on 24th and 25th May, 2018.
Kolawole Aliu of Leadership Newspaper won the photo category for ‘The Menace of Lagos State Task Force on People’, while Chinelo Ozoalor of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Enugu, won the radio award for her report, ‘NECO Paper Leak in Enugu’.
For the television category, Sharon Ijasan of Television Continental clinched the first prize for her story ‘Funding basic education in Nigeria’ while Azeezat Olaoluwa, also of Television Continental, was runner-up with her story, ‘Failing health sector: Pregnant women seek cheaper alternative’.
The winners, runners-up and commended works got cash prizes of N200,000, N100,000 and N50,000 respectively, plus a certificate of commendation. In addition, winners got award plaques, and will proceed on an all-expense-paid international study tour in 2019
For the honorary awards, John Momoh received the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence for his over two-decade commitment to media excellence as evidenced by the success of Channels TV.
Momoh in his acceptance speech observed that journalism in the country is currently under attacks, and appreciated the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism for the award.
Waziri Adio was conferred with the Anti-Corruption Defender Award for his consistent public stance against corruption, evidenced by the work he is championing on accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector.
Adio said the struggle against corruption and those who champion it can be seen as crazy and expressed his happiness to be in a company of people who have blazed the anti-corruption path he is treading.
