By Michael Omotosho |
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) capped its two-decade journey of journalistic excellence with a landmark awards ceremony. The event, which was the grand finale of the two-day virtual Amplify In-depth Media (AIM) Conference and Awards, was held on Tuesday, December 9, at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre in Lagos.
Two distinguished Nigerians received special honours as part of the celebration; renowned writer, poet, and political scientist, Odia Ofeimun, was presented with the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence for his enduring influence on Nigerian letters and public discourse. His career was celebrated for consistently challenging injustice, inspiring critical thinking, and upholding the tenets of truth and accountability in society, the statement noted. It was also recalled that Mr. Ofeimun had served as a judge for the maiden award ceremony back in 2005.
Alongside him, retired jurist and former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, was honoured with the Human Rights Defender Award. Justice Salami was recognised for his unwavering commitment to integrity, the rule of law, and his lifelong dedication to championing judicial independence and promoting accountability in public service.
The main focus of the evening remained the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR), which was in its twentieth edition. From a massive pool of 184 entries submitted by journalists across the nation, the 2025 judges board shortlisted 14 exceptional finalists. The award was designed to celebrate courageous reporting that exposes regulatory failures, corruption in both public and private sectors, and human rights abuses in Nigeria. “Winners of this prestigious award joined the illustrious hall of fame of Soyinka Laureates, receiving plaques, cash prizes, and an all-expense-paid international trip for overall winners.
During the course of the event, Dapo Olorunyemi founder of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) in his opening remark, hailed and commended the Nigerian journalists, for their resilience and passion to continue the exposure and the deliberate wrong doings of the injustice acts of powerholders, and making the voices of the mass public to be heard beyond the normal range despite the constant difficulties and challenges that they encounter. He also warned that journalism now faces a new form of emerging threats, collapsing societies and economies, deteriorating civic knowledge, and manipulative laws from power holders, but despite this the profession has always risen to its defining moments, he said.
Michel Deelen, a partner of WSCIJ and the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Nertherlands, in his remarks stated that there has been a rapid change in the society, knowing that the current audience are not ready to read long and ambiguous stories, and that as these changes are occurring, he urged every journalist should a way to adapt to write their information in a brief and concise manner without compromising factual accuracy of the information being passed across. “People now read in snippets, but truth must still be communicated rigorously,” he also warned against misinformation, emphasising that investigative journalists are “not police officers but truth seekers who help society understand facts.”
In addendum, Mrs. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, who happens to be the Chair, 2025 Judges Board was delighted to open the floor for the announcement of the winners of the 2025 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR), following with their categories.
Theophilus Adedokun emerged as the winner of the Online Category with his story “Dangote, in Quest for Cheap Energy, Pumps Poison into Benue Rivers,” published in National Record.
Muslim Yusuf won the Television Category for his documentary “Inside Abuja’s Drug Problem,” published in Trust TV.
Afeez Hanafi clinched the Print Category with his story “Journalist Secures Two Jobs with Oluwole Certificates,” published in Daily Trust.
Elliot Ovadje won the Photo Category with his powerful image “River Community Runs into Ruins as Oil Spills Destroy Livelihoods,” published in Punch Newspapers.
Victor Asewata won the Editorial Cartoon Category for his cartoon “Gross Dereliction” published by THEWILL Newspaper.
These winning works were celebrated for their courage, depth, accuracy, impact, and commitment to public interest.
Congratulations to all the outstanding journalists for championing truth and strengthening accountability.
The event celebrated outstanding storytelling across online, print, television, photo and editorial cartoon categories, spotlighting journalists who exposed corruption, environmental hazards, failure of public institutions and human-rights abuses across Nigeria.
Share this
