John Momoh, Waziri Adio to be honoured at 13th Wole Soyinka Award

John Momoh, chairman of Channels Media Group and Waziri Adio, executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), will be honoured at the 13th edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.

Momoh who is also the chairman of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) will be honoured with the lifetime award for journalistic excellence for his “noteworthy contribution to the development of the Nigerian media”.

Adio will receive the anti-corruption defender award, “for his public stance against corruption, evidenced by the work he is championing on transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector”.

Out of the 136 entries received for the award, 12 finalists will be unveiled for six categories in print, radio, television, photography, online and editorial cartoon.

The finalists were selected by the 2018 judges’ board chaired by Umaru Pate, a professor at the faculty of mass communication at Bayero University Kano.

According to a statement by Motunrayo Alaka, coordinator at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), cash prizes of N200, 000, N100, 000 and N50, 000 will be given to winners, runners-up and commended works in each award category respectively.

Winners will receive a plaque and an opportunity to attend an all-expense-paid international study-tour, and all finalists will also get certificates of commendation.

“The award presentation event is held annually on December 9, the World Anticorruption Day and eve of the Human Rights Day, to call attention to the significance of the media generally and investigative reporting in particular, to attaining good governance, accountability, and social justice, as aspired through the Sustainable Development Goals, while celebrating the reporters at the centre of the mix,” the statement read.

“The event, which is open to members of the public, will have reporters, media leaders, journalism students, civil society representatives, private and public sector leaders, diplomatic corps members and such like in attendance.”

The award will take place December 9 at NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja.