Banjo's investigation into the massive corruption in Lagos State schools and a four-part, in-depth feature on the banditry in Zamfara State were two of the stories the award's panel of judges commended.
A young Nigerian investigative journalist, Damilola Banjo, has been shortlisted for the Thomson Foundation's 2019 Young Journalist Award.
Banjo's investigation into the massive corruption in Lagos State schools and a four-part, in-depth feature on the banditry in Zamfara State were two of the stories the award's panel of judges commended.
The 2019 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award run in collaboration with the UK Foreign Press Association (FPA), on Friday, announced Banjo and 11 others as finalists.
The young journalist is 2018 Transparency International's 'young journalist' and has been a TigerEye Foundation grantee for two consecutive years.
In January, she was selected by BBC Africa Eye for an Open Source Investigation training in Nairobi, Kenya.
The award, in its 7th year, enables journalists aged 30 and under, from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of less than $20,000, to send in their best stories.
The foundation said independent judges would select the three finalists from the 12 entrants on the shortlist. The finalists would be flown to London where the winner will be announced during a gala awards ceremony at the end of November.
There are two other Nigerian journalists among the finalists, Oladeinde Olawoyin and Amos Abba.
Others are Aamir Ali (India); Kushane Chobanyan (Armenia); Meiryum Ali (Pakistan);
Sarita Santoshini (India); Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman (Ghana); Rubatheesan Sandranathan (Sri Lanka); Bukeka Silekwa (South Africa); Saurabh Sharma (India); and Julius Luwemba (Uganda).