The Nation’s Yusuf wins Wole Soyinka Award
The Nation mounted the big stage again last night, with Investigative Desk Head Adekunle Yusuf winning the print category of the prestigious Wole Soyinka Awards for Investigative Journalism.
The colourful ceremony was held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, coming after last weekend’s feat of five awards at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) – the highest in the individuals category by any newspaper. It was the tenth anniversary of the Soyinka Award.
Yusuf’s three-part series on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) titled “How corruption, leadership hamper NDLEA’s drug war” defeated the work of The Punch’s Motunrayo Joel on ovum selling in Nigeria titled “Ovum trading: Inside Nigeria’s multi-million naira human eggs business”.
Another of Yusuf’s entry titled “Inside the oil deals that caused Nigeria billions” was commended.
After receiving the award, Yusuf said: “I feel specially proud and honored for clinching this prestigious award, being my first Wole Soyinka prize for investigating reporting. Believe me, I see it more as a challenge to do more and work harder in service of my fatherland. And I promise to take up the gauntlet. Having said this, I am sending a big thank-you message to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Reporting, the panel of judges, all individuals and organizations that made today’s event a success. Finally, a far bigger gratitude goes to the entire staff and management of The Nation , Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper, for this award is impossible without them. Thank you!”
Premium Time’s Emmanuel Ogala, who won the online category, was declared the winner of the overall prize. Ogala received his prize from Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka.
Other winners are Sumner Sambo of Television Continental (Broadcast), Daily Trust’s Ikechukwu Ibe (Photography) and Business Day’s Asukwo Bassey.
Other finalists, who either were runners up or got commended for their works are: Fisayo Soyombo of The Cable, Chukwuemeka Emenike of The New Telegraph, Adedayo Odusanya of The Punch and Bassey Udo of Premium Times, Ayodele Ojo of The Sun and Kikelomo Abosede Ifekoya of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
Erstwhile Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Professor of Political Science, Attahiru Jega, who played an outstanding role in the success of the 2015 elections and veteran broadcaster Bimbo Oloyede were honoured with the Anti-Corruption Defender Award and the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence, respectively.
The winning stories were selected out of 130 entries by a panel of judges chaired by veteran broadcaster Bimbo Oloyede. Other members of the panel include Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, a lecturer at the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos; Umaru Pate, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Maiduguri; Boye Ola, a lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ); Editor of Sunday Trust, Theophilus Abbah; Gbile Oshadipe, a lecturer at the NIJ; the Dean of the Lagos State University School of Communications, Lai Oso; and the NIJ Provost, Gbemiga Ogunleye.
The colourful ceremony was held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, coming after last weekend’s feat of five awards at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) – the highest in the individuals category by any newspaper. It was the tenth anniversary of the Soyinka Award.
Yusuf’s three-part series on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) titled “How corruption, leadership hamper NDLEA’s drug war” defeated the work of The Punch’s Motunrayo Joel on ovum selling in Nigeria titled “Ovum trading: Inside Nigeria’s multi-million naira human eggs business”.
Another of Yusuf’s entry titled “Inside the oil deals that caused Nigeria billions” was commended.
After receiving the award, Yusuf said: “I feel specially proud and honored for clinching this prestigious award, being my first Wole Soyinka prize for investigating reporting. Believe me, I see it more as a challenge to do more and work harder in service of my fatherland. And I promise to take up the gauntlet. Having said this, I am sending a big thank-you message to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Reporting, the panel of judges, all individuals and organizations that made today’s event a success. Finally, a far bigger gratitude goes to the entire staff and management of The Nation , Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper, for this award is impossible without them. Thank you!”
Premium Time’s Emmanuel Ogala, who won the online category, was declared the winner of the overall prize. Ogala received his prize from Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka.
Other winners are Sumner Sambo of Television Continental (Broadcast), Daily Trust’s Ikechukwu Ibe (Photography) and Business Day’s Asukwo Bassey.
Other finalists, who either were runners up or got commended for their works are: Fisayo Soyombo of The Cable, Chukwuemeka Emenike of The New Telegraph, Adedayo Odusanya of The Punch and Bassey Udo of Premium Times, Ayodele Ojo of The Sun and Kikelomo Abosede Ifekoya of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
Erstwhile Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Professor of Political Science, Attahiru Jega, who played an outstanding role in the success of the 2015 elections and veteran broadcaster Bimbo Oloyede were honoured with the Anti-Corruption Defender Award and the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence, respectively.
The winning stories were selected out of 130 entries by a panel of judges chaired by veteran broadcaster Bimbo Oloyede. Other members of the panel include Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, a lecturer at the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos; Umaru Pate, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Maiduguri; Boye Ola, a lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ); Editor of Sunday Trust, Theophilus Abbah; Gbile Oshadipe, a lecturer at the NIJ; the Dean of the Lagos State University School of Communications, Lai Oso; and the NIJ Provost, Gbemiga Ogunleye.
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