Career
Fisayo Soyombo, Kelechukwu Iruoma & Ruth Olurounbi Shortlisted for Fetisov Journalism 2020 Awards
Five Nigerian journalists, Fisayo Soyombo, Kelechukwu Iruoma and Ruth Olurounbi, Philip Obaji and Olatunji Ololade have been shortlisted for Fetisov Journalism 2020 Awards, with a total of 35 entries from 21 countries selected across four categories: contribution to peace, contribution to civil rights, investigative reporting and environmental journalism.
The mission of Fetisov Journalism Awards is to promote universal human values such as honesty, justice, courage and nobility through the example of outstanding journalists from all over the world as their dedicated service and commitment contribute to changing the world for the better. According to the organisation, the first, second and third place winners in each category will receive CHF100,000 (US$104,005), CHF20,000 (US$20,801) and CHF10,000 (US$10,400), respectively.
Fisayo Soyombo a former editor at TheCable was nominated for his outstanding investigative reporting on Undercover Investigation on Nigeria’s Criminal Justice System, a three-part series where he highlighted the rot in the system. He spent two weeks in detention (five days in a police cell and eight as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison).
Kelechukwu Iruoma and Ruth Olurounbi’s investigative report published on TheCable about oil spill pollution in the Niger Delta was shortlisted under the “excellence in environmental journalism” category. The six-month laboratory test investigation revealed how contaminants in the air, water and soil as a result of the oil spills in Nigeria’s Ogoniland affects the health of people and how the cleanup exercise is slow, putting more people at risk of dying.
Philip Obaji of SaharaReporters featured in the “outstanding contribution to peace” category; while Olatunji Ololade of The Nation made it in the “outstanding investigative reporting” category.
