The award presentation ceremony of the Sixth Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting which held on Friday 9 December 2011 at the NECA Hall Lagos saw the honouring of seven journalists for the merits awards and two individuals for the honorary awards.
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The award presentation ceremony of the Sixth Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting which held on Friday 9 December 2011 at the NECA Hall Lagos saw the honouring of seven journalists for the merits awards and two individuals for the honorary awards.
In the photo category, Adeparusi Oluyinka of National Mirror Newspaper took the lead in the photo category with his picture captioned – Corporal Punishment lingers, while Sodiq Adelakun a photojournalist with The Punch Newspaper was adjudged runner-up for his picture titled – Electricity at all cost.
Musikilu Mojeed of 234next.com took the prize in the online category with his story – The Philip Emeagwali Series: The lies of Philip Emeagwali. The runner-up in the category was Idris Akinbajo also of 234next.com with his piece titled – Officials plunder nomadic education fund.
The Climate Change category which had no winner due according to the judges to the poor quality of works submitted had a runner-up, Adejunwon Soyinka of Tell Magazine who got the prize with his entry; Sitting on gunpowder.
A six-part series team entry – The Oil Minister Series/Diezani Chronicle written by Elor Nkereuwem, Peter Nkanga, Idris Akinbajo and Musikilu Mojeed of Next Newspapers took the lead in the print category. The runner-up position in this category went to Nicholas Ibekwe of the same media, for his story – The Pfizer Series.
Mr. Idris Akinbajo was announced the WSCIJ-Nigerian Investigative Journalist of the year 2011 for his overall outstanding performance.
Following the Centre’s tradition of best standards, the judges found no work suitable for an award in the radio, television, local government and gender issues categories.
The honorary award of Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence was presented to Mr. Lanre Idowu, Managing Director; Diamond Publications while its twin the Anti-corruption Defender award was received on behalf of Justice Kayode Eso by his son Arc. Olumide Eso.
In her opening speech the Centre Coordinator, Motunrayo Alaka lamented the crises in the Nigerian media and called on all especially credible Nigerians with means to join the programme sponsors the Netherlands Embassy in supporting the Centre financially and otherwise to enable it maximise its potentials.
Although this year’s winners are unlikely to enjoy the opportunity of a sponsored international training abroad which started with the 2010 winners, they went home with the award plaque, a cash prize of N100, 000, a laptop and six-month free internet access.
Guests at the event included the Board Chair of the Centre, Professor Ropo Sekoni, the Chairperson of the Judges’ board Ms. Ayo Obe, President Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, Royal Netherlands Ambassador Mr. Bert Ronhaar, the British Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Peter West, foremost photographer, Mr Tam Fiofori to mention but a few.
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ABOUT THE AWARD
The Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Award was first held in October, 2005 to encourage the development of an investigative tradition in the Nigerian media through rigorous scrutiny of human rights violations, regulatory failures and corruption in the public and corporate departments of the nation’s life and has so far rewarded twenty-four (24) finalists out of which thirteen (13) are the ‘Soyinka Laureates’ and eleven (11) are runners-up.
The WOLE SOYINKA CENTRE FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM (WSCIJ) is a registered not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation with social justice programmes aimed at exposing corruption, regulatory failures and human rights abuses with the tool of investigative journalism. Initially known as the Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Award (WSIRA), the change in name became necessary in 2008 to reflect the intentions of the coordinators to embrace a more robust line of activities that have greater capacity for engendering the right values of investigative journalism in the Nigerian media. The centre is named after Professor Wole Soyinka in recognition of his life-long work in support of the freedom of expression, freedom to hold opinion, and freedom to impart them without fear or favour and without hindrance or interference.
Signed:
Motunrayo Alaka
Centre Coordinator
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Statement by the Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria on the occasion of the Sixth Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting, December 9th 2011, Lagos
Professor Wole Soyinka
Chairman of the Board of Judges
Ladies and Gentlemen and all protocol duly observed,
It is a great pleasure and honor for me to present this speech on the occasion of the 6th edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.
Since 2007, the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has co-financed this event through a special Human Rights Fund. Through this Fund, the Netherlands Embassy in Abuja supports projects promoting Human Rights and activities fostering good governance. The relationship between the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and the Netherlands Embassy in Abuja over the last years stems from the mutual interest in promoting critical and investigative journalism in Nigeria.
Why do we do that?
We do so because independent, well-researched and balanced journalism is essential to educate people on the status quo of a country and its profile within the world community. We also need investigative reporting to create and maintain a sound environment of public accountability. This goes for the Netherlands as well as Nigeria and it applies to bilateral relations, as good as these may be like in the case of Nigeria and The Netherlands, and to international relations and achieving peace and stability. History has proven that investigative journalism is vital in exposing human rights abuses, corruption and regulatory failures.
And by working together with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism we also acknowledge the work of Professor Wole Soyinka, who is praised all over the world for his fight for the freedom of expression and not at least his support for investigative journalism.
Allow me now to say a few words about our Human Rights policy. This is appropriate because the Awards for Investigative Reporting are designed to honor the works of Nigerian reporters, which promote not only transparency and accountability but also respect for human rights. The mere fact that these Awards are being handed out tonight, means that a lot of good work in being done in the field of Investigative Reporting.
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Promoting human rights is one of the core aims of Dutch foreign policy. Human rights are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled, simply because he or she is a human being. International human rights law stresses that all human rights are universal, indivisible and interrelated. They are the guiding principles for a society in which people are free to be different, but equal before the law. They oblige governments to protect their citizens from violence and ensure that all people enjoy equal opportunities and treatment. The Netherlands gives special attention to promoting the freedom of expression and of religion and belief. Furthermore, it actively fights two particular forms of discrimination: discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and discrimination based on sexual orientation, such as homosexuality. With reference to sexual discrimination, we regard the current developments in Nigeria as especially worrisome for the position of human rights in this country.
Only last Tuesday, the Nigerian Senate has passed the Same Sex Marriage Bill, which further criminalizes not only same sex marriage and the solemnization thereof. Besides raising the penalties for same sex marriage, this bill also criminalizes publicly displaying affection of a homosexual nature and establishing or supporting gay-associations. The Bill passed its first reading at the House of Representatives last Wednesday.
If I could, I would have added right now an extra award category for the best investigative journalism around the proposed “Same Sex Marriage Bill”. For the simple reason that I have missed true investigative reporting around this lawmaking process and the draft text. I have missed journalism that goes beyond the ideological debate on whether homosexuality is good or bad, natural or unnatural, whether it is a Western concept or not. I have missed reporting that actually looks into the text of the Bill as it stands and has critically investigated the legal aspects of it. How does this law relate to international human right treaties as well as your own Constitution? What could be the implications of the broad interpretations of the wording chosen for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender persons as well as for the public at large? What is the risk of increased human rights violations based on this Bill?
For example: the wide definition of "same sex marriages" and the criminalization of persons who witness a "same sex marriage" is very, very far-reaching. Besides a further criminalization of same-sex relations between consenting adults, it increases the risk of false criminalization of persons of the same sex who simply live together. It may as well criminalize their families, friends and/or neighbors, who may find themselves being easily accused of being "witnesses" of so-called same sex marriages.
Furthermore, the Bill punishes any person who participates in or supports the registration, operation and sustenance of gay societies, organizations, processions or meetings. Such provisions can and will seriously affect the activities of civil society organizations and human rights defenders. How does this relate to Nigeria's international obligations to respect the freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly? I might be wrong, but I have not seen substantial comments on such issues and questions in the Nigerian press till today.
Nigeria is a respected party to many international human rights treaties. The principle that all individuals –thus including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people- have a universal right to privacy and non-discrimination, is enshrined in many of these treaties. For example in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 7); the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Art. 26); the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Art. 2.2), and; the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Art. 2).
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The media as a critical and objective body, and thus you all, have a responsibility to investigate any proposed Bill in the light of its legal implications, and its implications for the protection of human rights in Nigeria. Journalists are also there to thoroughly investigate claims of human rights abuses and other vices in society like corruption, mismanagement and regulatory failures. Journalists and reporters serve as whistleblowers to the public. They are supposed to hold governments accountable if they deny certain groups access to fundamental human rights, and put the exercise of power under public scrutiny.
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Another example of where more investigative reporting is needed is the situation in the Niger Delta.
One of the most obvious problems in the Niger Delta is the fact that the distribution of costs and benefits of the oil production is extremely skewed. In the midst of enormous wealth generated for the nation and the world at large by the exploitation of oil and gas reserves, extreme poverty and environmental hazards exists among the local communities.
The media, you, play an important role in bringing the facts and the news behind the news to the public. Transparency is the first step towards accountability. But you also have a role to play in bringing about a constructive dialogue about solutions. In August this year, the United Nations Environment Programme presented President Jonathan a report on their environmental assessment of Ogoniland. It is a well-balanced solution oriented report based on in-depth independent scientific research by the UN and makes a large number of specific recommendations for the way forward. It discusses both the role of the oil industry, as well as the role of the Nigerian government. But the report is also addressing sensitive issues such as lack of good governance, law and order and the prevalence of illegal oil bunkering and criminal sabotage. This quite balanced report is the first report of this kind in Nigeria, and yet it has received little all-inclusive attention in the Nigerian media. What have been the reactions of the different stakeholders including the government to the report? How they go about their specific responsibilities? What specific actions have they taken to follow up on the recommendations made? Are they actually doing what they have said to be going to do? How are the governmental roles of regulator and supervisor been segregated in Nigeria to ensure all necessary checks and balances and the implementation of world-wide accepted best practices and standards on oil spill management and gas flaring in the system?
I challenge you all to critically follow how the issues in the Niger Delta will be brought to a solution.
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You all play an important role in exposing corruption, mismanagement and human rights abuses. It is necessary to make such issues known to the general public in Nigeria and in the world at large, in order to enable people to hold their superiors and government accountable. Furthermore, an important part of investigative journalism is providing arguments for consensus and contributing to a constructive dialogue and sustainable solutions.
In other words, ladies and gentlemen, investigative journalism and investigative reporting is not only a plight but also a right
Thus, I urge you, as we are standing here today on International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of International Human Rights Day, to continue to make an effort to uphold and further promote the culture of investigative reporting in Nigeria.
For as Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary Genera,l once said: “Press freedom is a cornerstone of human rights. It holds governments responsible for their acts, and serves a warning to all that impunity is an illusion.”
Finally, please allow me to congratulate the prizewinners of this evening in advance. I wish them the inspiration and the courage to continue their very important work over the years to come.
I thank you for listening and let us hope, accepting the challenges before you.
Remarks by Ayo Obe on behalf of the Judges
9th December 2011
Your Excellencies, Gentlemen of the Press, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is indeed an honour and a privilege to participate in judging the entries for the 2011 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism.
Before I make some brief remarks, I would like to introduce the other judges who, together with me, considered the entries for this year's awards. Would those of you who are present please rise for recognition as their names are called.
Mr. Olumuyiwa Adekeye is the CEO of Barnes and Molby, a public relations firm. He was formerly an Editor with The News magazine.
Mr. Abiodun Olowu is a Lecturer with the Journalism department at the FRCN Training School in Lagos.
Mr. Gbile Oshadipe is the Editor of Scrutiny and a lecturer at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism. He is a former Editor of Lagos Life; former photo editor at NEXT Newspaper.
Ms. Kadaria Ahmed is the former Editor-in-chief with NEXT Newspaper, former producer with the Africa Service of the BBC - and many of you will also have seen how she anchored the Presidential debates on NN 24 during the general election campaign this year.
Mr. Gbolahan Olalemi is a broadcaster, and the Deputy CEO at TV Continental.
Mr. Boye Ola, former features editor at National Concord, is presently Head of Photojournalism at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism.
Lastly myself, a legal practitioner, formerly a columnist with NEXT, presently a weekly contributor to The Guardian.
The quality of work submitted varied as it does in every year, and while the panel of judges did not award prizes in every category, we have no doubt that the winning entries can stand with the best anywhere in the world. That said, of the eight categories in which entries were invited, namely Print, Radio, Television, Photography, Online, Climate Change, Local Government and Gender Issues, we were able to award top prizes in only three, while in four categories, we were unable to make any award at all.
You will understand that our decision to only make awards where we feel that the necessary standard has been met is vital if the quality and prestige of the awards is to be maintained. At the same time, we do not want to discourage journalists from carrying out investigation where it is warranted, and from submitting the results of their investigations for awards such as this where appropriate. It is with this in mind that we made some observations.
The first is that we should all remind ourselves that there is a difference between a feature and an investigative story. So the main question those submitting entries should ask themselves is not simply: Am I drawing attention to something that people didn't know about, or which deserves more publicity, but: Is this story exposing what someone is trying to hide? It is true that journalists should continue to ask themselves the five questions: Who? What? When? How? and Why? But for an entry in the investigative category, they must also ask in the context of concealment and exposure.
Another point we would like to stress is that an investigative journalist - or I suppose any journalist for that matter - is not supposed to be just a lone ranger. Yes, it will be the person whose name appears on the by-line who will get the accolades; but he or she is part of a team. In this context, editors need to be up and doing. Their role must be more than simply saying 'yes' or 'no' when a story is presented. The point of having experienced people in the newsroom is to scrutinise, encourage and advise. They should act as mentors, giving guidance and directions where necessary. We found that several of the entries were of stories that seemed to stop half way: stories that would have been greatly improved if an editor had been on hand to say - go back, or check out this angle. It is part of the job of such editors or news managers to identify where some follow-up is needed. In this context I should like to emphasize that because of the role that she played in some of the stories that were submitted, one of the judges, Kadaria Ahmed, recused herself and did not participate in the marking or decisions on entries submitted by reporters who had worked under her leadership at Next.
Many of the stories seemed content to report: "We tried to get an interview, but were asked to come in person" or "but Mr. X did not answer his telephone". In one case a journalist was asked to return with a letter of introduction, but instead of doing so, reported the fact of the request as though this was ipso facto evidence of having something to hide! But I am sure that we can all imagine - in a world where the journalism profession is as or more susceptible to imposters and impersonators - why a busy person might want confirmation about the identity of the person to whom they are being asked to give an interview.
Definitely we expect that an award winner should be someone who used all the tools available to them - the Freedom of Information Act is certainly not only for journalists, but it is definitely for them, and it is a tool that they should use. We also want to see - not cynicism - but a degree of scepticism: not simply accepting everything at face value, and certainly much less credulousness. When stories are about matters that appear to fly in the face of the natural order, journalists should not refrain from asking pertinent questions just because some divine 'explanation' is offered. We had two entries which covered a woman who claimed to have given birth to a series of babies who had not undergone the expected 9 months gestation period. Both of these entries are worthy of mention, but that the reporter has doubts ought to be apparent right from the first report; unfortunately, it is generally the rule that women who cite the Biblical Sarah as a precedent are probably up to no good!
In some fields, particularly the broadcast media, we had only one entry, and we hope that this will be improved next year. The judges intend to make recommendations to the Centre about how photojournalism entries should be judged, as we are of the view that the same criteria cannot apply to picture entries as to other types of entries. However, the award is not just about nice or artistic pictures, and entries must demonstrate an investigative quality. We would also urge photojournalists to improve their editing.
We were impressed this year with the quality of the entries in the online category, and also took special note of Emeka Imezie whom we commend for taking his entry online under the by-line "Jaja King" when his own employers felt unable or unwilling to publish the results of his investigations.
When we met for the awards ceremony last year, we were in the middle of the run up to the 2011 general elections. The judges expressed their disappointment that there were so few political stories at such a time. With the elections behind us, we hardly had many more - certainly there were some, but if we consider the scrutiny to which candidates in the United States who want to become the Republican Party candidate for the presidency are being exposed - we really had not much in comparison. Is it that the political investigative story can only happen when it is planted by political opponents? Mention has already been made of a journalist who had to go online with a story that his employers deemed too hot to handle. Where is the independent investigation of stories without regard to whose political ox might be gored?
Is it that we, the consuming public, are simply not interested in such stories, or that we write them off as being planted to do political damage? Indeed, what do we, the public really want? We may all be aware of the phone-hacking scandal in the United Kingdom, where reporters have been sent to prison for hacking into the private voice mails of targets of their investigations, but which is now revealed to be widespread in the British media and indeed, led to the closure of one of the chief exponents, the News of the World.
For many of us who have no real experience of the British tabloid press, the phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom seems as baffling or as it is astonishing because of the sheer banal irrelevance of many of the phone hacking targets. If I have enjoyed the books of, say J.K. Rowling - author of the Harry Potter books - it might be interesting to know this or that about her, but it is hardly essential to my enjoyment of her books, and certainly not to the extent that I would consider stalking her children inside their schools to be necessary or even acceptable at all. Why?
Yet it is we, the public, upon whose shoulders the blame for much of the obsessive stalking of personalities in the news to get a bit of celebrity tittle-tattle, is placed. It is, we are told, what the public wants. But here at home, this is a year in which we have seen one of the media houses which submitted several high quality entries discontinue its print edition. Does that mean that hard hitting exposes are not what the public wants?
We must also remember that undercover methods used by journalists abroad have exposed corruption in sport and bias on the part of those who are supposed to be taking independent decisions. Here at home, undercover methods have also exposed corruption in high places, although we also had one reporter whose story included the line: "I posed as an undercover reporter". Er no!
Yet - grammatical blunders aside - we should encourage such methods as a means of uncovering the truth. One of the reasons why the former Head of State, late Murtala Mohammed, was so popular in the short time before he was assassinated, was because unlike leaders who are shielded from the lives of ordinary people, he often went 'undercover' to see what they suffered at the hands of oppressive public officials. Unfortunately, the way that Murtala's own life ended gave reason for those who prefer to stay behind their security barrier to continue to do so, and in these days of terrorism and assassination, it is difficult to ask our rulers to emerge. But that gap is what the journalist - particularly the investigative journalist - ought to fill.
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