The board of judges for the 2023 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) has selected 11 finalists for the award’s 18th edition. Meanwhile, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has enlisted over 40 speakers for the Amplify In-depth Media (AIM) Conference that will precede the award event by 9 am daily on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 December, 2023, at the Abuja Continental Hotel (former Sheraton), Abuja.
The line-up of events for the Amplify In-depth Media (AIM) Conference & Award will close with the public award presentation on Saturday 9 December 2023 by 5 pm at the same venue.
The judges selected the award finalists to include Victor Asowata of The Will Newspaper; Folashade Ogunrinde, a freelance journalist with TV360; Omolabake Fasogbon of ThisDay Newspaper; Sharon Ijasan of TVC News; Marcus Fatunmole of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR); Chukwuemeka Emenike of New Telegraph; Lami Sadiq of Daily Trust; Ayodele Adeniran of The Guardian; Mary Abayomi Fatile of Radio Nigeria; Kemi Busari of Premium Times; and Beloved John, a freelance journalist with ICIR; from a pool of 244 entries received.
Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of, Premium Times, and Founder/CEO of the Centre for Journalism Innovation & Development (CJID), will be the keynote speaker. Umaru Pate, Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Kashere (FUK), Gombe State; Amina Salihu, Deputy Director, MacArthur Foundation; Yemisi Bamgbose, Executive Secretary of Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON); Toyin Akinniyi, Vice President, Africa, Luminate Group; Franca Aiyetan, Spokesperson, National Broadcasting Commission; Dili Ezughah, Director General, Nigerian Press Council; Bilal Randeree, Programme Director of Africa & MENA, MDIF; Kobus Louwren, Co-founder, Food for Mzansi; Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director, International Press Centre; Kayode Akintemi, Managing Director, News Central Media Ltd; and Deji Badmus, Founder, TV360 will also speak.
Other speakers are Ngozi Okpara, Associate Professor, Pan-Atlantic University; Subomi Plumptre, Co-founder, Volition Capital Investments Ltd; Ahaziah Abubakar Suleiman, Director of News and Current Affairs; Voice of Nigeria; Chude Jideonwo, CEO, Joy, Inc; Nkem Agunwa, Programme Manager, Africa, WITNESS; Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operations, The Nation; Chioma Agwuegbo, Executive Director, TechHerNG; Theophilus Abbah, Director, Daily Trust Foundation; Joshua Olufemi, Founder and Publisher, Dataphyte; Chinedu Anumudu; Lecturer, Baze University; Sharon Ijasan, Senior Correspondent, TVC News; Usifo Omozokpea, Audience Development Manager, The Conversation Africa; Titilope Fadare, Assistant Podcast Editor, SciDev.Net; Lami Sadiq, Head, Investigations, Daily Trust; Samson Folarin, Weekend Features Editor, The Punch; and Kolapo Olapoju, Editor, TheCable.
Also to speak at the event are Dayo Aiyetan, Executive Director, ICIR; Jimeh Saleh, Editor, BBC; Tami Siri Banigo, Head of Strategy and Partnership, BusinessDay; Deji Adekunle, Programme Director, The Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP), Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF); Idris Akinbajo, Managing Editor, Premium Times; Taiwo Obe, Founder and Director, Journalism Clinic; Hauwa Shafi Nuhu, Editor, HumAngle; Kimberly Nwachukwu, Broadcaster, Nigeria Info FM, Abuja; Kunle Adebajo, Investigations Editor, HumAngle; Juliana Francis, Deputy Editor, The Eagle Online; Oluchi Anams, Managing Director, AD4TVRadio and Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO, WSCIJ.
Through conversations and workshop sessions, the AIM Conference and Awards will provide a platform to discuss, share knowledge and network on ways to amplify investigative reporting in Nigeria, Africa and beyond. WSCIJ collaborates with other partners to host this third edition of the conference. It hosts the award annually on December 9, the World Anti-Corruption Day and eve of Human Rights Day, to acknowledge best practices in investigative journalism and their import for democracy. For 2023, the MacArthur Foundation provided funds for the conference, and the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria funds the award programme.
