14 journalists from 10 news media organisations have emerged as finalists for the 20th edition of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) marking a historic moment as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) celebrates 20th anniversary. This year holds special significance: twenty years of strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, defending press freedom, best practices, amplifying the role of investigative journalism in exposing injustice and holding power to account. From a total of 184 entries submitted across Nigeria, the finalists were selected by the 2025 WSAIR judges’ board, chaired by Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Director of the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The winners will be announced at the 20th WSAIR presentation ceremony and WSCIJ@20 anniversary celebration, scheduled for Tuesday, 9 December 2025, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm (WAT) at the AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos, with the red carpet starting at 4:00 pm (WAT).
The shortlisted journalists are Kingsley Jeremiah, Ann Godwin, Tina Todo, Julius Osahon, and Monday Osayende of The Guardian; Muslim Yusuf of Trust TV; Victor Asowata of The Will; and Ugonma Mathias of African Angle. Others include Kunle Adebajo of HumAngle; Afeez Hanafi of Daily Trust; Elliot Ovadje of The Punch; Isah Ismaila of HumAngle Media; Emenike Chukwuemeka of New Telegraph; and Theophilus Adedokun, a freelance reporter with National Record. Their stories reflect the courage, depth, and public-interest focus that has shaped WSAIR’s legacy since 2005. The award presentation and WSCIJ@20 anniversary ceremony will officially close the 2025 Amplify In-depth Media Conference and Awards.
The two-day virtual conference, scheduled for Monday, 8 and Tuesday, 9 2025, by 11:00 am (WAT) daily on Zoom, will feature 11 speakers drawn from across the media, academia, and technology sectors. Rosental Alves, Professor of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, and Khadija Patel, Director, International Fund for Public Interest Media, will deliver keynote addresses on the theme ‘WSCIJ @20: Investigative reporting and the future of truth.
Since 2005, WSAIR has recognised and celebrated journalists across print, radio, television, photography, online media, and editorial cartoons whose reporting exposes injustice, holds power to account, and advances the public interest. The award has been hosted on the International Anti-Corruption Day and the eve of Human Rights Day since 2009 to highlight the significance of these days and their connection to investigative reporting and democracy. This 20th anniversary edition carries added meaning, not only crowning the 2025 winners, but honouring two decades of reporters who have set the standard for integrity, courage, and impact in Nigerian journalism.
Signed
Motunrayo Alaka
Executive Director/CEO, WSCIJ
About WSCIJ
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) is a not-for-profit non-governmental organisation committed to strengthening democracy by exposing corruption, regulatory failures, abuse of power, and human rights violations through investigative and accountability journalism. For 20 years, the WSCIJ has evolved from an annual award into a leading institution shaping the standards and culture of public-interest reporting in Nigeria. WSCIJ’s programmes including the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting, Wole Soyinka Centre Media Lecture Series, themed investigative reporting trainings, Report Women and it’s Female Reporters Leadership Programme, Civic Space Guard, media rights dialogues, investigative reporting fellowships, and sub-national reporting initiatives has empowered thousands of journalists, newsrooms and news media support organisations with training, mentorship, grants, and recognition. These efforts have strengthened newsroom leadership, ethics, inclusion, sustainability, and the practice of evidence-driven reporting. Recent initiatives such as the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) project have further expanded WSCIJ’s reach, amplifying diverse voices and promoting collaborative, innovative journalism at the local levels of governance. For two decades, WSCIJ has remained steadfast in its mission: advancing a bold, ethical, inclusive media that defends truth and makes accountability a shared culture.
