Sowore: Wole Soyinka Centre Suspends Integrity Award For Osinbajo

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), on Monday, announced that it is postponing the presentation of an Integrity Award to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo amidst protests over repression of freedom of speech in Nigeria.

Osinbajo was billed to be presented with the award as part of the 2019 Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting holding on Monday night in Lagos, which coincides with the World Anti-Corruption Day.

The Centre’s decision to honour Osinbajo, however, attracted protests as some Nigerians took to social media to ask questions on the timing of the award.

Reacting to the complaints, Executive Director/CEO of the Centre, Motunrayo Alaka, in a statement posted on the organization’s Twitter page @WSoyinkaCentre at 2:32 am on Monday announced the postponement of the award to Osinbajo.

She said the postponement was in response to the protest against what she called, “the repression of freedom of speech” by the present administration, citing the case of the convener of #RevolutionNow Movement and Sahara Reporters’ Publisher, Omoyele Sowore.

She wrote: “The postponement was decided on, to align with protests against the repression of #FreedomOfSpeech in recent times, especially the incidence between the Department of State Security (DSS) and @YeleSowore, Publisher of @SaharaReporters, on Friday 6 December.

“The Vice President @ProfOsinbajo himself shares this awareness and the inappropriateness of the award at this point.”

The Centre said the award presentation programme will hold as scheduled on Monday, 9th December 2019, by 6pm as 13 journalists from print, online, television, radio, photo, and editorial cartoon categories will be celebrated.

Veteran photojournalist Sunmi Smart-Cole and @AmnestyNigeria will also be presented honorary awards of the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-Corruption Defender Award (Human Rights Specialty) respectively.

The WSCIJ holds the award presentation event on December 9, the #WorldAntiCorruptionDay and eve of the #WorldHumanRightsDay to highlight the importance of investigative reporting as a tool for accountability, good governance and #SocialJustice in a #democracy. 

The award event is free to attend for members of the general public.