By Mariam Tijani
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism marked its 20th anniversary with the 2025 Amplify In-depth Media (AIM) Conference and Award. The two-day event began on Monday, 8th of December via a webinar under the theme “WSAIJ@20: Investigative Reporting and the Future of Truth.”
The final celebration was held on Tuesday in Lagos, with award presentations which honoured outstanding storytelling in six different categories.
Dapo Olorunyomi, founder of the centre, gave the opening remarks at the award presentation. He spoke about the origin of the center, especially the process of naming it after the noble laurette. According to him, the center was founded because of the need to build an institution that could strengthen professional excellence and honour courageous reporters.
The event proceeded with a remark by Michel Deelen, a partner of the centre and the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Lagos, and comments by the chair of the 2025 Judges Board, Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika. She spoke about the outstanding qualities of the winning entries and how the judging process was thorough and firm on integrity.
Starting with the online category, Theophilus Adedokun was awarded the winner for his report on how coal mining activities linked to Dangote Group polluted multiple rivers in Benue state, causing deaths, disease outbreaks and water scarcity. Kunle Adebajo of HumAngle was awarded as runner-up for his investigation into how online fundraising channels fueled the armed struggle of the proscribed IPOB. Isah Ismaila, also of HumAngle, received a commendation for “Lost Homes, No Aid”, his exposé on the humanitarian crisis affecting displaced communities in Niger state.
The next category was radio. However, no awards were issued in the category. Muslim Yusuf of Trust TV emerged as the only winner in the television category for his undercover documentary “Inside Abuja’s Drug Problem”, which exposed a thriving narcotics market in the Federal Capital Territory. A short clip of the documentary was displayed at the award night.
In the Print Category, Daily Trust’s Afeez Hanafi emerged the winner with his undercover investigation which exposed regulatory failure that allowed the use of fake certificates and qualifications to permeate critical sectors of the nation. The runner-up award was presented to Kingsley Jeremiah of the Guardian for his report on the deepening malnutrition crisis among children in Northern Nigeria. Ann Godwin, Tina Agosi Todo, Osahon Julius and Monday Osayande were commended for an extensive series of abandoned projects across the South-south region.
Photojournalist Elliot Ovadje, received double awards in the photo category as the winner and commended entry. His photos told stories of the sharp inequalities in the Niger Delta and the impact of an oil and gas spill in Buguma, Rivers State. Ugonma Ogbu-Mathias was awarded first runner up for his photos on the realities of nomadic pupils in Abuja’s Yagoji community, where students learn under trees with distractions from animals around, and without basic learning materials.
In the editorial cartoon category, Victor Asowata of The Will Newspaper was announced as the winner and runner-up for works that questioned the government’s neglect of the health sector and misaligned policing priorities. The commendation award was presented to Chukwuemeka Emenike of News Telegraph for his satirical work on “glitches”, which had become an institutional recurring phenomenon in Nigeria.
After the six award categories, WSCIJ also presented two honorary awards. Ayo Salami, who was the former president of the Court of Appeal, was presented the Human Rights Defender Award for his commitment to upholding judicial integrity and due process.
Professor Wole Soyinka spoke highly of poet and journalist Odia-Ofeimun and how they first met, as he presented the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence to him. The award was a testament to Odia-Ofeimun’s rich biography of excellence and over four decades of literary, journalistic and civic contributions that have greatly impacted Nigeria.
Following this presentation, Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director of WSCIJ took us down a memory lane. She talked about the impact of the center for over two decades, and her experience since joining the center in her early twenties.
The event ended with appreciation and good will messages by Laura Ede, the Associate Director, Programmes, WSCIJ. Afterwards, attendees were serenaded with cultural performances by the Kakaki Cultural Group, and a live band after the cutting of the anniversary cake.
About The Author
