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Olorunyomi, Nigeria’s most decorated journalist, takes another award
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By Omoniyi Ibietan
For the umpteenth time, Oyekunle Oyedapo Olorunyomi, publisher of Premium Times, possibly contemporary Nigeria’s most honoured journalist, was garlanded earlier today, with the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation (HLF) Award.
Olorunyomi, popularly called Dapsy, famous for his public spiritedness, brilliance, grit and vision, and particularly renowned for his pragmatism and love for investigative and interpretive reporting, media independence, accountability as well as advocacy for public interest journalism, in his words ‘journalism of relevance’, received the HLF-Christopher Kolade Award for Excellence in Leadership and Professionalism in the Media at an event in Lagos.
Reckoning Dapo Olorunyomi’s journalistic antecedents and the trailblazing Premium Times Media Group – which houses the Premium Times newspaper (an online newspaper), Dubawa (a fact-checking entity), the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (a tech-oriented knowledge production centre instituted to empower and support African media), and Premium Times Books (a book publishing arm) – the Hallmarks Foundation found a repository to draw form and content that gave expression to professionalism and leadership.
As captured by Premium Times, this award celebrates Dapsy’s “established track record” in championing media independence, accountability journalism, and ethical standards.
An incurable believer in the promise of newspapering for the promotion of freedom and democracy, a leading light of avant garde, innovative journalism in the service of society, iconoclastic and radical, I first took note of Dapsy as a social actor in the Nigerian space after reading the cover story of the African Concord newsmagazine titled, “Has IBB Given up?” an exceptionally objective unsparing analysis of the Babangida regime. The publication’s factuality and poignancy was so stinging as to precipitate the sealing of the premises of the medium for six months and its proscription in 1992 by the military regime.
Unbeknownst to me, Dapsy and I have a deeper historical connection. For instance, he was in the league of student leaders of the early 1980s who pitched their tent in the left pole of the ideological spectrum. It was he and his comrades who drafted the Charter of Demands of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), a document that would become a consequential duty of my generation of student leaders to implement.
Born in Kano, educated at Ife, Oxford, Washington and across the world, ever since Dapsy enrolled at the then University of Ife where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s in Literature, he has been on the famished road of knowledge production, journalistic rectitude, organised, conscious self and collaborative activities of social action and uncommon charity. As a student at Ife, he spent his holidays working PRO BONO as a press officer at the South Africa’s African National Congress Office in Lagos, and he continued to live a life marked by ecumenism and charitableness.
Exactly two years ago, precisely on January 11, 2023, I published a tribute to honour him when he was announced the first African fellow of the Poynter Institute, alongside 26 other global media entrepreneurs and actors for the 2023 Media Transformation Challenge (MTC) programme. The Poynter Fellowship had recorded 350 alumni as of 2023, and Dapsy broke the jinx by becoming Africa’s first alumnus.
In 2020, the International Press Freedom Award was presented to him. Earlier, in 1995, the World Press Review garlanded him as the International Editor of the Year. In 1996 he was awarded the Freedom to Write Award by the PEN Center, as well as Press Freedom Award by the National Association of Black Journalists in New York. For his involvement in reporting on the Panama Papers, he won a joint Pulitzer Award in 2016. The Global Investigative Journalism Network also honoured him with the Global Shining Award in 2017. Still in 2017, he carted away both the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Freedom Award and the a distinguishing fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). Olorunyomi equally received the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence’s Lifetime Award.
He had worked for The Herald newspapers, was an editor at Radio Nigeria, African Guardian, and the African Concord before co-founding TheNews magazine, Tempo, as well as AM and PM News. He became the Enterprise Editor and head of investigation at the Timbuktu Media, publishers of 234Next. Olorunyomi has served on the board of many international organisations including Panos Institute West Africa, Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism (a United Nations initiative) and he continued to serve on the jury or as chair or African analyst for many media initiatives or country surveys.
He was the Director Nigeria Project for Freedom House (FH), during which I worked with him as FH’s Regional Media Researcher for the Niger Delta. Freedom House is America’s oldest NGO focused on curating the state of press freedom in over 190 nations and territories. While at FH, he founded the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (now Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism). He was Director for Policy and Chief of Staff to Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, when the latter was Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. It was he who essentially developed crime prevention and education policy at EFCC.
He was on exile for a while when the Abacha regime launched a serial crackdown on activists and journalists. He returned to Nigeria at the onset of Nigeria’s renascent democracy and continued his works without ceasing as a dedicated Nigerian patriot. In 2021, he was arrested ostensibly for publishing a libellous story about former Army Chief Buratai, an incident that suffered a natural fate as cases of unsubstantiated allegations.
The Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission aptly described Olorunyomi as ‘Akinkanju’ (the Valiant man) of Nigerian journalism. His story continues to serve as an unvarnished reminder of the value of focus, love for man and country, determination, selflessness, and living for others.
Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan is the Head of Media Relations, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Ride-hailing company, Uber, has shut down its operations in Nigeria.
In a statement, the company, which came into Nigeria in 2014, said its exit is effective from September 2, 2026.
After a thorough review, we have taken the difficult decision to wind down operations in Nigeria, effective September 2, 2026,”
“We are writing to share some difficult news. After a thorough review of our business, we have made the tough decision to wind down our operations in Nigeria, effective 2 September 2026.”
“Since we first launched in Lagos in 2014, it has been an absolute privilege to be a part of your daily life connecting you with independent transportation providers.
Whether it was a morning commute, a ride to see loved ones, or exploring the city, thank you for trusting the platform to connect you to a driver to get you there safely. We know this may cause disruption to your routine, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”
Uber said said its plan is to support drivers, riders and local team members through the transition
(Daily Trust)
A United States-based policy advisory and lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has claimed that an individual it described as being linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered $3 million to persuade the firm to halt its activities concerning allegations about the Nigerian president’s past.
The firm made the claim in a statement published on its verified X account on Wednesday, alleging that the purported offer was accompanied by an invitation to a confidential meeting in London.
Von Batten-Montague-York said its leader, Dr Von Batten, rejected the proposal and retained copies of the communications relating to the alleged offer.
The firm did not identify the individual it claimed made the offer, nor did it provide publicly verifiable evidence establishing that the person was acting on behalf of President Tinubu.
Firm alleges $3m inducement
According to the statement, the alleged approach came from what the firm described as a “highly placed individual” who it said it had been told was connected to the President.
The firm alleged that the purpose of the proposed payment was to persuade Dr Von Batten to discontinue the organisation’s campaign concerning allegations it has previously raised about President Tinubu.
“A few days ago, Dr Von Batten received unsolicited offers of $3 million, along with an invitation to a confidential meeting in London, from a highly placed individual whom we have been informed is connected to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu,” the firm said.
It added that it viewed the alleged offer as an attempt to influence its activities.
“We believe these offers were an attempt to persuade Dr Von Batten to end our campaign concerning President Tinubu’s alleged heroin-trafficking records,” the statement said.
The firm said it rejected the alleged proposal, adding that it had preserved the communications surrounding the purported approach.
Firm says it investigated alleged link
Von Batten-Montague-York said it subsequently sought to establish the identity and political connections of the individual allegedly behind the approach.
It claimed that it contacted members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as part of its efforts to determine whether the individual had any relationship with President Tinubu.
The firm also alleged that negative publicity targeting Dr Von Batten emerged after the purported offer was rejected.
It did not, however, provide independent evidence in the statement to substantiate the alleged link between the individual and the President or to establish that the subsequent criticism was connected to the alleged offer.
Documents to be submitted to US authorities
The lobbying firm said it plans to submit what it described as the relevant communications and details of the alleged $3 million proposal to United States authorities.
It specifically mentioned the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The firm said the move would enable the appropriate authorities to independently examine the circumstances surrounding the alleged approach.
The organisation also directed its message at President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it had rejected the purported offer.
Allegation remains unverified
The claim comes against the backdrop of longstanding political and legal disputes surrounding allegations concerning President Tinubu’s past, including claims that have previously been raised in political campaigns and legal proceedings.
However, the latest allegation by Von Batten-Montague-York has not been independently verified.
The firm has not publicly identified the alleged intermediary or produced evidence confirming that the person was authorised to act for or on behalf of President Tinubu.
There was also no response from the Presidency, President Tinubu, the APC or any identified representative contained in the statement issued by the firm.
Birthdays are milestones in the journey of life, but for those entrusted with the service of a nation, they are also moments to celebrate the footprints they have left along the way. Today, I celebrate one such journey—that of an accomplished public servant, steadfast patriot and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima.
Your Excellency, your journey through public service—from Commissioner to Governor, Senator and now Vice President—has been distinguished by courage in adversity, intellectual depth, loyalty to country and an abiding conviction in the promise of Nigeria.
You governed Borno State at one of the most difficult periods in its history, when terror tested the resilience of its people and challenged the authority of the Nigerian state. Yet you remained at your duty post, providing leadership in the face of danger and demonstrating that adversity must never be permitted to extinguish hope.
Today, as Vice President, you bring that same resilience, experience and patriotic commitment to the service of our nation. Your partnership with His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda demonstrates the importance of unity of purpose at the highest levels of government as we confront the challenges of the present and lay the foundations for a more prosperous future.
On this special day, I celebrate not merely the addition of another year to your life, but the years you have invested in the service of our fatherland.
On behalf of my family, my constituents and the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish you many more years of good health, wisdom, strength and fulfilment.
May Almighty God continue to guide you, strengthen you and grant you the grace to serve our nation with distinction.
And may the years ahead bring us ever closer to the Nigeria for which generations have hoped and laboured—a nation at peace with itself, confident in its diversity, prosperous in its economy and respected among the nations of the world.
Happy Birthday, Mr Vice President.
May God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Just in: Uber pulls out of Nigeria
US Lobbying Firm Claims $3m Offer to End Campaign Over Tinubu Allegations
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