AN INVESTIGATIVE report published by Abuja-based online newspaper, National Record, which exposed the devastating water pollution by a subsidiary of Dangote Group in Benue State, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, won the Online Category of the prestigious Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (WSAIR) in Lagos.
Tuesday’s award caps a year of significant recognition across West Africa for National Record, whose two-part investigative report: “Dangote, In Quest for Cheap Energy, Pumps Poison Into Benue Rivers” conducted by freelance reporter, Adedokun Theophilus.
The event, which is WSAIR’s 20th anniversary, in the founding tradition of Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), celebrated outstanding storytelling across online, print, television, photo and editorial cartoon categories.
WSCIJ also use WSAIR to recognise journalists who exposed corruption, environmental hazards, failure of public institutions and human-rights abuses across Nigeria.
The chair of the Judges’ Board, Mass Communication expert, Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Director, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Lagos, noted that the diversity and depth of the winning entries for 2025 reaffirmed journalism’s critical role in strengthening democracy and holding power to account.
Other awardees include HumAngle’s Kunle Adebajo, who emerged as runner-up in the online category for his investigation into how online fundraising channels fuelled the armed struggle of the proscribed IPOB.
Isah Ismaila, also of HumAngle, was commended for his investigative report: “Lost Homes, No Aid: The Forgotten IDPs Uprooted by Terrorists in North Central Nigeria” which exposed the humanitarian crisis affecting displaced communities in Niger State.
No awards were given in the radio category, while the television category produced one winner, Trust TV’s Muslim Yusuf, whose undercover documentary: “Inside Abuja’s Drug Problem,” exposed a thriving narcotics market in the Federal Capital Territory, prompting the Senate to call for a state of emergency on drug abuse a week after it was aired.
In the print category, Afeez Hanafi of Daily Trust, emerged the winner with his undercover investigation exposing regulatory failures that allowed the use of fake certificates and qualifications to permeate critical sectors such as education.
Kingsley Jeremiah of The Guardian was named runner-up for a report on the deepening malnutrition crisis among children in northern Nigeria, while Ann Godwin, Tina Agosi Todo, Osahon Julius and Monday Osayande, also of The Guardian, received commendation for extensive series on abandoned projects across the South-South region.
The photo category was dominated by a photojournalist, Elliot Ovadje, of the Punch who received both a commendation and the top prize for his works in documenting sharp inequalities in the Niger Delta and the devastating impact of an oil and gas spill in Buguma, Rivers State.
African Angle’s Ugonma Ogbu-Matthias was named runner-up for capturing the grim realities of nomadic pupils in Abuja’s Yagoji Community, where children still learn under trees without classrooms or basic learning materials.
Victor Asowata of The Will Newspaper secured both winner and runner-up positions in the editorial cartoon category for his works critiquing government neglect of the health sector and misaligned policing priorities.
Chukwuemeka Emenike of the New Telegraph earned commendation for his satirical piece on Nigeria’s recurring institutional “glitches”.
Two honorary recognitions were also presented; one, to retired President of the Court of Appeal, Ayo Salami, who received the Human Rights Defender Award for his unwavering commitment to judicial integrity and due process; while celebrated poet, essayist and journalist, Odia Ofeimun, was honoured with the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence, in acknowledgement of his more than four decades of literary, journalistic and civic contributions that have shaped Nigeria’s cultural and intellectual life.
National Record: A Blaze of Glory
The WSAIR recognition adds to National Record’s growing list of honours for its investigation, which meticulously details how Dangote’s coal exploration in Effeche and Abache communities in Ugbokolo Ward in Edumoga District of Okpokwu LGA continues to contaminate rivers depended on in the host communities as well as neighbouring communities in Okpokwu, Ohimini, and Otukpo LGAs.
The pollution has overtime led to disease outbreaks, water scarcity and, in some instances, deaths. The investigation combined extensive fieldwork, interviews with affected communities and authorities, laboratory analysis of water samples, and a review of regulatory documents.
The WSAIR accolade follows a series of high-profile wins. In October, the same investigation triumphed in the Extractive Industry category at the 2025 West Africa Media Excellence Conference and Awards (WAMECA) in Accra, Ghana. The jury praised it as a “courageous investigation that uncovers the human cost of pollution and gives a voice to those who are being silenced.”
The report and its author swept the 2025 Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) Awards, winning both the online category and the coveted ‘Journalist of the Year’ prize. The AMDF jury highlighted the reporter’s professional skill “in unearthing the questionable operations of the mining company.”
The report, funded by the MacArthur Foundation through WSCIJ’s Collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusivity and Accountability (CMEDIA) Project, was also a finalist for the 2025 Africa Conference on Development Journalism. It was selected from hundreds of entries across the continent, underscoring its impact and exemplary standard.
