Two PREMIUM TIMES journalists, Folashade Ogunrinde and Bakare Majeed, have been shortlisted for the West Africa Media for Excellence Awards (WAMECA) organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).
Ms Ogunrinde is a member of PREMIUM TIMES’ Investigations and Data Desk, and Mr Majeed was a member of this newspaper’s National Desk.
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The MFWA said this year’s edition received 793 entries from more than 600 media outlets across 15 West African countries. The organisers said it received 335 entries from Nigeria, 101 from Ghana and 92 from Burkina Faso.
“The entries were filed by journalists from about 600 media organisations in the West Africa region,” the organisers said.
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Other Nigerians shortlisted
Out of the 26 finalists, 11 are Nigerian journalists from different media organisations.
They include Jemilat Nasiru, Mansur Ibrahim, and Taiwo Adebulu, all of TheCable; Kunle Adebajo and Al’amin Umar of HumAngle; Olayide Soaga of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ); and Ijeoma Opara of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).
Others are: Theophilus Adedokun of National Record; Faruk Shuaibu of Daily Trust; and AbdulRasheed Hammad of Pen Press.
MFWA said submissions cut across nine categories: human rights, environment, investigative journalism, women’s empowerment, and digital public infrastructure. Others are anti-corruption, extractive sector, telecoms & ICT, and illicit financial flows.
About Bakare
Mr Bakare Majeed, a trained economist, has extensive experience covering politics, governance, transition energy, digital public infrastructure, and anti-corruption. Many of his legislative reports have helped shape reforms, including groundbreaking anti-corruption exposés.
In 2023, he covered the Hajj exercise in Saudi Arabia and has extensive experience reporting on elections across the country. He was part of the Yiaga Africa 12-person election observation team that covered the 2024 Ghana presidential election and is a recipient of the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship 2024.
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Mr Majeed’s stories on digital public infrastructure and payment systems have helped open public discourse on this critical sector.
About Folasade
Folashade Ogunrinde is an award-winning investigative journalist with Premium Times, recognised for her work in governance, accountability, and inclusive development.
Her reporting explores the intersections of human rights, gender equality, and the extractive sector, with a strong focus on how public resources and policies impact marginalised communities.
She is passionate about telling stories that matter and framing journalism as a tool for strengthening democracy and social justice in Africa. Beyond reporting,
Ms Ogunrinde is committed to shaping future voices in the media. She regularly facilitates training sessions for students and early-career journalists, sharing insights on investigative reporting, accountability storytelling, and the role of the press in inclusive governance.
Her work has been recognised both in Nigeria and across the African continent. She is a fellow of the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) and the Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP).
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