Professor Chinyere Okunna and the late Beko Ransom-Kuti will be honoured at the 19th Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) ceremony, scheduled for Monday, December 9, 2024.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that
the event which will be held at the AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos, is
organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), serves as the grand finale of the two-day virtual Amplify In-depth Media (AIM) Conference and Awards.
The conference, themed “Media Credibility, Investigative Reporting, and Artificial Intelligence,” will hold on December 8 and 9 from 1:00 p.m. daily on Zoom.
Prof. Okunna, Nigeria’s first female professor of Mass Communication and current Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Paul University, Awka, will receive the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence.
She is being celebrated for her contributions to the Nigerian media, journalism for development, and her advocacy for women’s advancement in media and society.
Ransom-Kuti, a renowned human rights activist, will be honoured posthumously with the Human Rights Defender Award.
Known for his pro-democracy activism, the late medical doctor championed civil rights through organizations such as the Campaign for Democracy, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, and the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO).
Tolu Ogunlesi, Managing Partner at WoweMedia and former Special Assistant to Nigeria’s ex-president Muhammadu Buhari on Digital/New Media, will deliver the keynote address. He will be joined by eight other speakers.
The award ceremony will also recognize 15 finalists shortlisted from 219 entries submitted by Nigerian journalists. Winners will receive cash prizes, plaques, and an all-expense-paid international study tour in 2025.
Since its inception in 2005, the WSAIR has been held annually on December 9, coinciding with International Anti-Corruption Day and the eve of Human Rights Day.
It highlights themes of investigative reporting, democracy, and anti-corruption. Over the years, the event has celebrated 119 finalists, honoured 13 Investigative Journalists of the Year, and conferred 29 honorary awards for outstanding contributions to journalism and human rights advocacy.
The programme is part of the “Leveraging the Power of Media to Fortify the Civic Space and Tackle Malinformation” initiative, in collaboration with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and supported by the Netherlands Embassy.
Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO of the WSCIJ, noted that the combined conference and award ceremony, introduced in 2020, underscores the critical role of journalism in democracy while celebrating investigative reporting.
