By Chukwudi Nweje
The Sun newspaper, yesterday, won awards of excellence at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), held in Lagos, with the theme: ‘Masked not Silenced.’
It emerged one of the top three media organisations in Nigeria that has produced the highest number of finalists for the annual award. The others are Premium Times and The Punch.
The organisers of the awards explained that the Investigative Media Award, in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of WSCIJ award, was in recognition of media organisations in Nigeria who have produced the highest number of finalists since the inception of the award.
The winners emerged following a weighted score computation of winners, runners-up since the awards designed to reward rigorous reporting and best practices in the art of investigative journalism in the Nigerian media was instituted in October 2005.
Eight reporters drawn from print, television, online and photo journalism received awards for journalistic excellence. They include Ibrahim Adeyemi of BussinessDay, Bukola Samuel-Wemimo of TVC News, Taiwo Hassan Adebayo of Premium Times, Victor Asowata and Samson Folarin, both of Punch, Habib Oladapo and Damilola Banjo, both of Sahara Reporters, and Ikechukwu Ibe of Daily Trust. The winners received cheques for various amounts ranging from N50,000 to N200,000, a laptop computer and a plaque each.
Damilola Banjo also won the overall investigative journalist of the year 2020.
Honorary awards were given to Lade Bonuola pioneer Associate Editor of The Guardian newspaper and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, for journalistic excellence and human rights defending, respectively.
Also awarded were seven professionals, who had served as judges in the WSCIJ awards. They include, Ayo Obe, a lawyer and human rights ativist, Prof Umaru Bada of Bayero University Kano, Theophilus Abba, Director at Daily Trust Foundation, Prof Lai Oso of the Department of Mass Communication, Lagos State University (LASU), Gbile Oshadipe, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, and Boye Ola.
Earlier in a speech on behalf of the Judges Board, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika commended WSCIJ for deploying journalism as a tool for social change.
In her address, Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director /CEO WSCIJ, noted that the award rewards journalists who “go beyond the expected to challenge constituted authority, amplify the voice of the most vulnerable and contribute to entrenching social justice in our society.”
She said, “In this post-truth era, journalism has become even more difficult. The truth is constantly besieged from all sides. Journalists and news media organisations are attacked daily by public office holders, organised pedlars of misinformation and citizens alike. Journalism has been masked by these issues, yet, we are not silenced,” she said.