TheCable

Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Premium Times associate editor, has won the Wole Soyinka award for investigative journalist of the year.

He also won the investigative reporter of the year (online) award.

Abdulaziz was awarded the top honour for exposing the National Youth Corps Scheme (NYSC) exemption certificate forgery of Kemi Adeosun, former minister of finance.

“We had to undergo a lot of challenges for the story to come out,” Abdulaziz said in his acceptance speech.

“I think one important issue in all this is the issue of tenacity in news reporting as well as the culture of staying on the story.

“I think that was what we were able to do with this story, to stay on it, to make it an issue and insist that it shouldn’t be swept under the carpet no matter how much it was tried.

“I think today we celebrate. Today, we celebrate the courage of a lot of Nigerians to come out on the issue. I had moments in the course of pursuing this story that I felt dejected and felt as if one was wrong.”

The first runner-up of the online category was Kemi Busari while Oladeinde Olawoyin was commended for his work.

The three online finalists are from Premium Times.

The print category was won by Mojeed Alabi of New Telegraph while Chinwe Agbeze was the runner-up.

Chinelo Ozoralor wọn the radio category, Sharon Ijasan of TVC News wọn the television category while Azeezat Olaoluwa, also of TVC, was a runner-up.

Bennett Omeke of PUNCH and Cornelius Emenike of New Telegraph were commended for editorial cartoon.

Elliot Ovadje of Tribune was commended for his work in the photo category which was won by Kolawole Aliu of Leadership Newspaper.