{"id":6223,"date":"2025-12-01T09:04:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pillartoday.ng\/?p=6223"},"modified":"2025-12-01T09:04:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:04:05","slug":"journalism-as-it-should-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"pillartoday.com.ng\/?p=6223","title":{"rendered":"Journalism As It Should Be"},"content":{"rendered":"

Udom<\/span><\/span> Inoyo.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By Sam <\/strong><\/span><\/span>Akpe<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Udom<\/span><\/span> Inoyo<\/span><\/span>, the former ExxonMobil chief<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> must be a fulfilled man. A few years ago, he came up with a<\/span><\/span>n<\/span><\/span>extraordinary<\/span><\/span> idea\u2014that of instituting an award <\/span><\/span>to<\/span><\/span> boost investigative journalism in <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom State. <\/span><\/span>It was the first<\/span><\/span>of its kind<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At that <\/span><\/span>time<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>not a few<\/span><\/span> people thought he was <\/span><\/span>try<\/span><\/span>ing to advance his political profile<\/span><\/span> by cuddling the media<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> This was shortly after his retirement from the international oil firm as executive vice chairman.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is possible<\/span><\/span> that <\/span><\/span>those who bandied the opinion were <\/span><\/span>not completely misguided<\/span><\/span>, because he was assumed to be in the race for the governorship of <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom State.<\/span><\/span> That\u2019s a different story<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, the question that came to mind was if indeed he wanted to serve as governor, would he encourage investigative journalism against his government?<\/span><\/span> As weeks graduated into months, it became clear <\/span><\/span>that <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> was an usual politician\u2014someone not afraid of media probe.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

True to type<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>he<\/span><\/span> refused to respond<\/span><\/span> to any such political hypothesis<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Noiselessly, he consulted those who should know. Then, at an event organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists where he presented a keynote address, <\/span><\/span>Inoyo <\/span><\/span>announced his de<\/span><\/span>cision<\/span><\/span> to institute the award in <\/span><\/span>honour<\/span><\/span> of Ray <\/span><\/span>Ekpu<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Th<\/span><\/span>e choice of <\/span><\/span>the man we love to call <\/span><\/span>Uncle Ray was hailed across the <\/span><\/span>country<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Shortly after<\/span><\/span> the announcement, I put a call through to Uncle Ray who expressed surprise at the <\/span><\/span>honour<\/span><\/span> done him. He disclaimed any belief that the institution of the award must be a fallout from any <\/span><\/span>favour<\/span><\/span> he must have done to <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> in the past.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In<\/span><\/span> his<\/span><\/span> natural<\/span><\/span> distinctive<\/span><\/span> baritone<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>the legendary <\/span><\/span>columnist and features writer<\/span><\/span> extraordinaire, <\/span><\/span>whose journalistic <\/span><\/span>journey<\/span><\/span> has been tested in the newsrooms<\/span><\/span>, police detention camps, and the courts<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> conveyed the hope that his junior colleagues would use the opportunity to advance the profession.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is possible that within the short time the award has been administered, even Uncle Ray would be satisfied that investigative journalism in Nigeria\u2014especially in <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom State\u2014is regaining momentum. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the opinions of the experts, the award has woken up an aspiration that was long lost.<\/span><\/span> Whether th<\/span><\/span>is<\/span><\/span> resurgence of investigative reportage is <\/span><\/span>purely <\/span><\/span>for the sake of the award is not clear. But it is good for journalism, whatever the case.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Five years later, i<\/span><\/span>t is no longer in doubt that <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> did not institute the award <\/span><\/span>for <\/span><\/span>political <\/span><\/span>benefits<\/span><\/span>. It was a well-thought out decision to<\/span><\/span> bring back journalistic excellence in the 21st century when the untrained have <\/span><\/span>not <\/span><\/span>only <\/span><\/span>invaded the hallowed <\/span><\/span>pathway of <\/span><\/span>the <\/span><\/span>profession<\/span><\/span>, but have taken over the narrative without any regard to ethics of practice<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Such an unholy invasion has <\/span><\/span>turn<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> journalism into what Donald Barclay calls <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>fake news, propaganda and plain old lies.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> About a year ago, I read a book by Scott Gant entitled: <\/span><\/span>We\u2019re All Journalist Now<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> a sad admission that the once deified profession has be <\/span><\/span>defied and <\/span><\/span>adulterated<\/span><\/span> since the invention of the internet<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

There is no questioning the reality that in Nigeria, <\/span><\/span>in the revered opinion of Alexandra Kitty, <\/span><\/span>there was a time when journalism was a thing. This was when investigative <\/span><\/span>reportage<\/span><\/span>had a unit in <\/span><\/span>individual <\/span><\/span>newsrooms<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Today, unfortunately, journalism has become<\/span><\/span> fake news<\/span><\/span>, in the words of Kristina L<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Heitkamp, while the social media are the factories that make it!<\/span><\/span> Bloggers and the other bunch called citizen journalists<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> now <\/span><\/span>equate themselves with legacy journalists.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It was in a bid to change this senseless narrative that <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> floated the Ray <\/span><\/span>Ekpu<\/span><\/span> Prize for Investigative Journalism in <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom State. It was another way of saying: let\u2019s make the difference between what is<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> what used to be<\/span><\/span>, and what <\/span><\/span>should be<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> The award was meant to reinvent journalism as it used to be. So far, it has been a success story.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A few days ago, the f<\/span><\/span>ifth<\/span><\/span> edition of the yearly award took place in <\/span><\/span>Uyo<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom State. Available information showed that the award committee headed by<\/span><\/span> the <\/span><\/span>former editor of the<\/span><\/span> defunct<\/span><\/span> National Concord<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Nsikak<\/span><\/span> Essien, also ha<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span>some notable professionals in its fold<\/span><\/span>, like<\/span><\/span> Akpandem<\/span><\/span> James\u2014formerly of the <\/span><\/span>Concord, Punch<\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span>Daily Independent<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another esteemed journalist, known by friends and colleagues simply as<\/span><\/span> Comrade<\/span><\/span> KK\u2014Kayode <\/span><\/span>Komolafe<\/span><\/span>\u2014of <\/span><\/span>Thisday<\/span><\/span> newspaper<\/span><\/span>\u2014is <\/span><\/span>also in the selection team.<\/span><\/span> Plus, a communication expert, Professor <\/span><\/span>Ini<\/span><\/span> Uko<\/span><\/span>, and <\/span><\/span>Utibe<\/span><\/span> Hanson Ray who represents the <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> Toyo Foundation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From the beginning, <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> had decided that those involved in the selection of the prize winners must be people of outstanding professional pedigree<\/span><\/span>. He specifically recommended fellows of the Nigerian Guild of Editors<\/span><\/span>\u2014people he believed would not compromise quality<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>So far, so good<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Most interesting is the fact that he initiated the award with <\/span><\/span>only a<\/span><\/span> one-star<\/span><\/span> prize<\/span><\/span>\u2014and <\/span><\/span>the prize money of half a million naira. <\/span><\/span>At that time, it was the biggest prize money in the Nigerian media industry\u2014and so <\/span><\/span>far<\/span><\/span> it has not been surpassed. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A few years later, the prize <\/span><\/span>and the prize <\/span><\/span>money ha<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span>expanded <\/span><\/span>and increased <\/span><\/span>to include both the first and the second runners up<\/span><\/span>, with <\/span><\/span>three hundred and two hundred thousand naira, respectively<\/span><\/span>, as prize money<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The increase in the prize<\/span><\/span>s and prize<\/span><\/span> money followed the involvement of two new sponsors<\/span><\/span>: Thompson & Grace Investment Limited and Oto-<\/span><\/span>Obong<\/span><\/span> Uwah<\/span><\/span>. Essien said at the award event a few days ago that the doors were still opened for <\/span><\/span>more<\/span><\/span> sponsors which will automatically result in increase<\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span>prize money.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As captured by Essien in his speech, i<\/span><\/span>n the history of journalism <\/span><\/span>progress<\/span><\/span>ion<\/span><\/span> in Akwa Ibom State, <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>I cannot recall any other organization offering us, practitioners of journalism in the state<\/span><\/span>\u2026<\/span><\/span>, so much<\/span><\/span>\u201d both in opportunity and prize money.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Doing investigative reports comes <\/span><\/span>at<\/span><\/span> a cost. <\/span><\/span>Uncle Ray can testify to this. <\/span><\/span>The current <\/span><\/span>defiant<\/span><\/span> economic environment and the high costs associated with<\/span><\/span> conducting meaningful journalistic investigations<\/span><\/span>, as Essien noted, ha<\/span><\/span>ve<\/span><\/span> compound<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span>the challenges<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> Added to th<\/span><\/span>ese<\/span><\/span> are the risks involved in <\/span><\/span>piloting<\/span><\/span> this genre of journalism.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A little insight <\/span><\/span>shows that<\/span><\/span> 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 <\/span><\/span>journalistic <\/span><\/span>reports, those who win the awards even at this local level<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span> stand <\/span><\/span>good <\/span><\/span>chances of winning them at any other level.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He states further, \u201ca<\/span><\/span>dherence 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\u2019s privacy.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, he notes that t<\/span><\/span>he style and language of presentation <\/span><\/span>are <\/span><\/span>always considered <\/span><\/span>as one of the criteria, adding, \u201c<\/span><\/span>we are drawn to good style<\/span><\/span>\u201d while the \u201cprimary <\/span><\/span>consideration for assessment is the expected contribution of the investigative report to good governance in the public sector.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He revealed that the team of experts in its collective judgements, <\/span><\/span>value<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> \u201c<\/span><\/span>an investigation that will combat the twin evils of corruption and impunity, which have tainted our society.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Above all, he said any <\/span><\/span>investigative report<\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>which are likely to contribute to national unity,<\/span><\/span> catch<\/span><\/span>es<\/span><\/span> our fancy. <\/span><\/span>Similarly, entries that encourage ethnic cohesion in our state, Akwa Ibom, are also welcome<\/span><\/span>. These are not the best of times in <\/span><\/span>Nigeria<\/span><\/span> and Akwa Ibom State <\/span><\/span>regarding<\/span><\/span> ethnic tensions and national unity.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is the view of the team that <\/span><\/span>Investigative journalists should join <\/span><\/span>in <\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span>he<\/span><\/span> fight against <\/span><\/span>every social, economic, and political<\/span><\/span> evil<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> and expose the culprits<\/span><\/span> and the sponsors. Beyond investigatin<\/span><\/span>g<\/span><\/span> corruption in government, Essien says \u201ci<\/span><\/span>nvestigative journalists should also prioritize their focus on protecting the <\/span><\/span>fundamental<\/span><\/span> rights of our people.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While announcing the 2025 winners, Essien observed that there were 27 entries\u2014the highest so far since the award started. They came from both the print, the electronic and the online media. I<\/span><\/span>ssues handled <\/span><\/span>in the entries <\/span><\/span>were<\/span><\/span> said to be more<\/span><\/span> than <\/span><\/span>what were submitted <\/span><\/span>in previous years<\/span><\/span>. They<\/span><\/span>includ<\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span> health, education, community development and governance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, the <\/span><\/span>third-place<\/span><\/span> winning entry <\/span><\/span>was <\/span><\/span>on non-implementation of geo-seismic compensation after <\/span><\/span>an <\/span><\/span>earth blast <\/span><\/span>in a forgotten community<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span> T<\/span><\/span>he <\/span><\/span>second-place<\/span><\/span> entry was on health<\/span><\/span>, entitled: <\/span><\/span>Inside <\/span><\/span>Akwa<\/span><\/span> Ibom Communities where ill-equipped Primary Health Care Centre cripple<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> healthcare services<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>The <\/span><\/span>overall <\/span><\/span>winning entry <\/span><\/span>was en<\/span><\/span>titled: <\/span><\/span>Gas Flaring: Niger Delta Communities Suffer as Oil Giants Fail to Pay Nearly <\/span><\/span>N<\/span><\/span>500<\/span><\/span> billion in Penalties<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Five years after its in<\/span><\/span>troduction<\/span><\/span>, the Ray <\/span><\/span>Ekpu<\/span><\/span> Prize for Investigative Journalism is gradually walking into journalis<\/span><\/span>m\u2019s<\/span><\/span> hall of fame. <\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> has chosen to step out of the way by allowing his foundation\u2014<\/span><\/span>Inoyo<\/span><\/span> Toyo Foundation\u2014to handle the sponsorship. However, history will no<\/span><\/span>t<\/span><\/span> forget that the initiative was his brainchild.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So far, the Selection Team has set standards that are strictly professional. The process adopted is such that individual<\/span><\/span> judges<\/span><\/span> analyse<\/span><\/span> each<\/span><\/span> entr<\/span><\/span>y autonomously,<\/span><\/span> score the candidates, submit the analysis and scores <\/span><\/span>before <\/span><\/span>coming together to compare notes and pick the winner\u2014no external influence, no internal manipulations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

However, the idea<\/span><\/span> behind the Ray <\/span><\/span>Ekpu<\/span><\/span> Prize for Investigative Journalism<\/span><\/span> is to arrive at a point where and when <\/span><\/span>journalistic <\/span><\/span>investigati<\/span><\/span>on<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span> will not only be to <\/span><\/span>win<\/span><\/span>awards<\/span><\/span>, but to separate the <\/span><\/span>fake from the real<\/span><\/span>\u2014to draw a line between social media noise and journalism as it used to be<\/span><\/span>\u2014and should be<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Akpe<\/span><\/span>, a journalist, writes from Abuja<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Udom Inoyo. By Sam Akpe Udom Inoyo, the former ExxonMobil chief, must be a fulfilled man. A few years ago, he came up with anextraordinary idea\u2014that of instituting an award to boost investigative journalism in Akwa Ibom State. It was the firstof its kind. At that time, not a few people thought he was trying […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}