Abdulaziz Wins Wole Soyinka Award For Investigative Journalist Of The Year

By Biola Adebayo

Premium Times Associate Editor, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, on Sunday won the Wole Soyinka award for investigative journalist of the year (online category).

He also won the coveted investigative reporter of the year award.

According to award organizer, Abdulaziz was awarded the top honor for exposing the former minister of finance Kemi Adeosun’s national Youth Corps Service (NYSC) exemption certificate forgery that subsequently led to her resignation.

Abdulaziz said in his acceptance speech “We had to undergo a lot of challenges for the story to come out.”

“I think one important issue in all this is the issue of tenacity in news reporting as well as the culture of staying on the story.

“I think that was what we were able to do with this story, to stay on it, to make it an issue and insist that it shouldn’t be swept under the carpet no matter how much it was tried.

“I think today we celebrate. Today, we celebrate the courage of a lot of Nigerians to come out on the issue. I had moments in the course of pursuing this story that I felt dejected and felt as if one was wrong.”

Also, the first runner-up of the online category was Kemi Busari of Premium Times while Oladeinde Olawoyin of the same organization was commended for his work.

The three online finalists are from Premium Times.

The print category was won by Mojeed Alabi of New Telegraph while Chinwe Agbeze was the runner-up.

Chinelo Ozoralor wọn the radio category, Sharon Ijasan of TVC News wọn the television category while Azeezat Olaoluwa, also of TVC, was a runner-up.

Bennett Omeke of PUNCH and Cornelius Emenike of New Telegraph were commended for editorial cartoon.

Elliot Ovadje of Tribune was commended for his work in the photo category which was won by Kolawole Aliu of Leadership Newspaper.