The Next Edition Newspaper on Monday won the Online Category and Overall prizes at the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism.
The newspaper’s Managing Editor, Ibanga Isine, grabbed the awards which put the paper among the league of the best media houses in Nigeria.
Apart from winning the Online category, Mr. Isine also emerged Investigative Journalist of the Year, 2019.
Mr. Isine’s two-parts investigative report on “How bribe-taking security operatives, gangs force Nigerians to pay dearly for food,” was chosen as the best Investigative story out of about 200 entries filed.
Speaking shortly after receiving his award at the awards ceremony which took place at the NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja, on Monday night, Isine, thanked the WSCIJ for instituting the awards as a way of encouraging journalists.
Mr. Isine dedicated the awards to God, his daughter, wife, Next Edition and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) which supported the work.
He also appreciated Nigerian journalists whom he described as “the best in the world.”
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He encouraged Nigerian journalists to continue in their doggedness towards their job saying, “So many things are happening. Just keep your ears and nose to the ground.”
Samson Folarin of The Punch Newspaper who won the Investigative Reporter Of The Year Award in the print category also encouraged journalists not to be deterred by the challenges they face.
He disclosed that he had been making efforts to be nominated for the WSCIJ Awards for over six years without luck adding he was happy to win with his first nomination.
His report on a “lecturer” with fake certificates in UNIZIK, which led to the lecturer’s sack earned him the award.
The report also led to the investigation of the university’s vice Chancellor as well as the fake lecturer by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In the Special categories, Amnesty International Nigeria won the 2019 Anti-Corruption Defender Award (Human Rights Specialty) while veteran photographer, Mr. Sunmi Smart-Cole won the Life Award for Journalistic Excellence.
Meanwhile, Sharon Ijason of the TVC News who emerged runner up in the Television category for her report on how a Chinese firm was violating children’s labour right received a grant of N2m to anchor research/investigation into violation of children’s right.
