Jaafar Jaafar | Photo credit: Daily NigeriaThe publisher of Daily Nigerian, an online medium, Jaafar Jaafar, has won 2018 Integrity Award for being recognized as anti-corruption champion of the year over a video clip he released showing Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano state receiving bribes from contractors.
Tagged ‘2018 Integrity Awards,’ it was organized by Youth Alive Foundation (YAF), a registered non-governmental organization working to provide a platform that harnesses and nurtures young people through informed, innovative and value-driven approaches for personal, community and national development.
With funding from UKAID through DFID, Nigeria’s support to Anti-corruption in Nigeria (ACORN) program, YAF is leading a consortium of partners to implement the Strengthening Youth Participation Against Corruption project (YPAC).
In the words of the organisers, Jaafar deserves the award for being considered as a man of integrity because of his doggedness and bravery for exposing corrupt practices irrespective of who is involved.
The Head of Programmes YAF, Usen Asanga said: “Jaafar acclaims his conscience as being his greatest role models in the profession and believes in the power of investigative journalism as a means to ensure the truth is on earth and leaders are put to task.
“As part of interventions under the YPAC project, YAF is working with stakeholders across sectors to revitalize integrity, good character and other national values as a counterculture or new norm.
“It is against this background that YAF organised the Integrity Awards to identify and celebrate deserving citizens and groups who have made outstanding contributions in terms of exemplary acts of integrity, and other inspiring contributions to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, via awards.
“The goal and inherent intention of integrity Awards is not only to reshape norms that sustain corruption, but also to build a new culture and consciousness that highlights integrity, selflessness and patriotism as hallmarks of national growth, development and progress.”
Jaafar commended the organizers for recognizing him for the award, and added that as a Journalist, he had played his part in exposing corrupt practices and called other stakeholders to take it up.
“While I must commend the organiser for this honour, I must state that the role of a journalist ends at exposing ills in the society while other arms of govrernment, especially law enforcement agencies and judiciary should take it up and play their parts to the conclusion.”
Other awardees at the event included retired President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo-Salami; founder of Brekete Family FM station, Ahmed Isah; Freedom Radio presenter, Nasir Zango; an FRSC officer, Sikiru A.Aduloju, Bayero University Kano lecturer, Malam Mu’azu Yusif, Nigerian Police officer, CSP Francis Osagie Erhabor and an activist Soji Apampa.
This was even as Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, a Premium Times associate editor, won the Wole Soyinka award for investigative journalist of the year (online category) award. He also won the coveted investigative reporter of the year 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 cartoons.
Elliot Ovadje of Tribune was commended for his work in the photo category which was won by Kolawole Aliu of Leadership Newspaper.
