By Bukola Hameed
The 2022 judges board of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) have shortlisted 13 journalists for the 17th award edition.
The shortlisted journalists include Olanrewaju Oyedeji of Dataphyte; Babatunde Okunlola of Diamond FM, Osun; Chukwuemeka Emenike of New Telegraph; Olatunji Obasa of PUNCH; Abdulaziz Abdulaziz of Trust TV; Gbenga Salau of The Guardian; Amadin Uyi of News Central Television; Zainab Bala of Trust TV; Deji Lambo of Punch; Victor Asowata of The Will; Hassan Adebayo of Premium Times; Folashade Ogunrinde of TV360; and Juliana Francis for her story in New Telegraph.
The public award presentation will hold as part of the two-day Amplified In-depth Media Conference and Awards on Thursday, 8th and Friday, 9th December from 10 am to 3 pm WAT. The award presentation ceremony will hold on the second day at 3 pm WAT at the same venue – NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, off Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos and virtually.
Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Chair of the 2022 judges board, presented the shortlist across the print, online, photo, cartoon, television and radio categories to Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO, WSCIJ, on Tuesday, 22nd November, after the judges scoring session.
The investigative reporting award has rewarded 109 finalists, 56 Soyinka Laureates, and 12 investigative journalists of the year since its inception in 2005. The initiative has also given 26 deserving Nigerians the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-Corruption/Human Rights Defender Awards.
Journalists, leaders of newsrooms, civil society organisation representatives, development partners, students of journalism and related courses are the target audience for the event.