Udom Inoyo, the former ExxonMobil chief, must be a fulfilled man. A few years ago, he came up with an extraordinary idea — that of instituting an award to boost investigative journalism in Akwa Ibom State. It was the first of its kind.
At that time, not a few people thought he was trying to advance his political profile by cuddling the media. This was shortly after his retirement from the international oil firm as executive vice chairman.
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It is possible that those who bandied the opinion were not completely misguided, because he was assumed to be in the race for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State. That’s a different story.
However, the question that came to mind was if indeed he wanted to serve as governor, would he encourage investigative journalism against his government? As weeks graduated into months, it became clear that Inoyo was a usual politician—someone not afraid of media probe.
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True to type, he refused to respond to any such political hypothesis. Noiselessly, he consulted those who should know. Then, at an event organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists where he presented a keynote address, Inoyo announced his decision to institute the award in honour of Ray Ekpu.
The choice of the man we love to call Uncle Ray was hailed across the country. Shortly after the announcement, I put a call through to Uncle Ray who expressed surprise at the honour done him. He disclaimed any belief that the institution of the award must be a fallout from any favour he must have done to Inoyo in the past.
In his natural distinctive baritone, the legendary columnist and features writer extraordinaire, whose journalistic journey has been tested in the newsrooms, police detention camps, and the courts, conveyed the hope that his junior colleagues would use the opportunity to advance the profession.
It is possible that within the short time the award has been administered, even Uncle Ray would be satisfied that investigative journalism in Nigeria—especially in Akwa Ibom State — is regaining momentum.
In the opinions of the experts, the award has woken up an aspiration that was long lost. Whether this resurgence of investigative reportage is purely for the sake of the award is not clear. But it is good for journalism, whatever the case.
Five years later, it is no longer in doubt that Inoyo did not institute the award for political benefits. It was a well-thought out decision to bring back journalistic excellence in the 21st century when the untrained have not only invaded the hallowed pathway of the profession, but have taken over the narrative without any regard to ethics of practice.
Such an unholy invasion has turned journalism into what Donald Barclay calls “fake news, propaganda and plain old lies.” About a year ago, I read a book by Scott Gant entitled: We’re All Journalist Now…, a sad admission that the once deified profession has be defied and adulterated since the invention of the internet.
There is no questioning the reality that in Nigeria, in the revered opinion of Alexandra Kitty, there was a time when journalism was a thing. This was when investigative reportage had a unit in individual newsrooms.
Today, unfortunately, journalism has become fake news, in the words of Kristina L. Heitkamp, while the social media are the factories that make it! Bloggers and the other bunch called citizen journalists, now equate themselves with legacy journalists.
It was in a bid to change this senseless narrative that Inoyo floated the Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism in Akwa Ibom State. It was another way of saying: let’s make the difference between what is, what used to be, and what should be. The award was meant to reinvent journalism as it used to be. So far, it has been a success story.
A few days ago, the fifth edition of the yearly award took place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Available information showed that the award committee headed by the former editor of the defunct National Concord, Nsikak Essien, also have some notable professionals in its fold, like Akpandem James — formerly of the Concord, The PUNCH and Daily Independent.
Another esteemed journalist, known by friends and colleagues simply as Comrade KK — Kayode Komolafe — of ThisDay newspaper — is also in the selection team. Plus, a communication expert, Professor Ini Uko, and Utibe Hanson Ray who represents the Inoyo Toyo Foundation.
From the beginning, Inoyo had decided that those involved in the selection of the prize winners must be people of outstanding professional pedigree. He specifically recommended fellows of the Nigerian Guild of Editors—people he believed would not compromise quality. So far, so good.
Most interesting is the fact that he initiated the award with only a one-star prize — and the prize money of half a million naira. At that time, it was the biggest prize money in the Nigerian media industry — and so far it has not been surpassed.
A few years later, the prize and the prize money have expanded and increased to include both the first and the second runners up, with three hundred and two hundred thousand naira, respectively, as prize money.
The increase in the prizes and prize money followed the involvement of two new sponsors: Thompson & Grace Investment Limited and Oto-Obong Uwah. Essien said at the award event a few days ago that the doors were still opened for more sponsors which will automatically result in increased prize money.
As captured by Essien in his speech, in the history of journalism progression in Akwa Ibom State, “I cannot recall any other organisation offering us, practitioners of journalism in the state…, so much” both in opportunity and prize money.
Doing investigative reports comes at a cost. Uncle Ray can testify to this. The current defiant economic environment and the high costs associated with conducting meaningful journalistic investigations, as Essien noted, have compounded the challenges. Added to these are the risks involved in piloting this genre of journalism.
A little insight shows that the criteria adopted by the judges in selecting the winners of this award are not cheap. Essien notes that from the depth of investigation to the verification of facts, figures, and relevant issues presented in journalistic reports, those who win the awards even at this local level, stand good chances of winning them at any other level.
He states further, “adherence to the ideals of journalistic excellence is another criterion we regard very highly. In the pursuit of facts, figures, and related issues, every reporter must follow the principles of journalism. We do not approve of crude investigation tactics or invading people’s privacy.”
In addition, he notes that the style and language of presentation are always considered as one of the criteria, adding, “we are drawn to good style” while the “primary consideration for assessment is the expected contribution of the investigative report to good governance in the public sector.”
He revealed that the team of experts in its collective judgements, values “an investigation that will combat the twin evils of corruption and impunity, which have tainted our society.”
Above all, he said any investigative report, “which are likely to contribute to national unity, catches our fancy. Similarly, entries that encourage ethnic cohesion in our state, Akwa Ibom, are also welcome. These are not the best of times in Nigeria and Akwa Ibom State regarding ethnic tensions and national unity.”
It is the view of the team that Investigative journalists should join in the fight against every social, economic, and political evils and expose the culprits and the sponsors. Beyond investigating corruption in government, Essien says “investigative journalists should also prioritize their focus on protecting the fundamental rights of our people.”
While announcing the 2025 winners, Essien observed that there were 27 entries—the highest so far since the award started. They came from both the print, the electronic and the online media. Issues handled in the entries were said to be more than what were submitted in previous years. They included health, education, community development and governance.
For instance, the third-place winning entry was on non-implementation of geo-seismic compensation after an earth blast in a forgotten community. The second-place entry was on health, entitled: Inside Akwa Ibom Communities where ill-equipped Primary Health Care Centre cripples healthcare services. The overall winning entry was entitled: Gas Flaring: Niger Delta Communities Suffer as Oil Giants Fail to Pay Nearly N500 billion in Penalties.
Five years after its introduction, the Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism is gradually walking into journalism’s hall of fame. Inoyo has chosen to step out of the way by allowing his foundation — Inoyo Toyo Foundation — to handle the sponsorship. However, history will not forget that the initiative was his brainchild.
So far, the Selection Team has set standards that are strictly professional. The process adopted is such that individual judges analyse each entry autonomously, score the candidates, submit the analysis and scores before coming together to compare notes and pick the winner—no external influence, no internal manipulations.
However, the idea behind the Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism is to arrive at a point where and when journalistic investigations will not only be to win awards, but to separate the fake from the real — to draw a line between social media noise and journalism as it used to be — and should be.
Sam Akpe, a journalist, writes from Abuja.
