AN investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) into suspected water contamination and rising cases of chronic kidney disease in communities in Yobe State has earned its reporter, Nanji Nandang, a place among the finalists for the 2026 Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) Journalist of the Year Award.

The nomination, announced on Friday in a press statement issued by AMDF Executive Director, Sekyen Dadik, said Nandang is shortlisted alongside Hammad Abdulrasheed of Ripples Nigeria and Janefrances Chibundu of TheCable, both Nigerian journalists.

Dadik said the finalists emerged from a rigorous assessment of submissions received from nine African countries: Benin, Egypt, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

“The winners and runners-up in the Journalist of the Year categories, alongside the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, will be announced and presented at the 10th Africa Conference on Development Journalism, scheduled for 2nd–4th December 2026,” she said.

She added that veteran journalist and media executive, Dapo Olorunyomi, will receive the 2026 AMDF Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to development journalism, public discourse and ethical reporting in Africa.

The Chairman of the Selection Committee, Joseph Edegbo, said entries were assessed based on development relevance, investigative depth, originality, research and evidence, public-interest value, storytelling and actual or potential impact.

He said the committee examined the substance of the submitted journalistic works rather than relying solely on applicants’ descriptions of their investigations.

In other categories, Chima Azubuike and Daniel Ayantoye of PUNCH Newspaper, Nigeria, and Sisay Sahlu Nigatu of The Reporter, Ethiopia, were shortlisted in the Print category.

Juliet Buna of Crest FM, Nigeria, was the sole finalist in the Radio category, while Nana Boakye Dankwah Yiadom of Joy News, Ghana, was the only journalist recommended in the Television category.

The ICIR investigation, titled ‘Contamination: FG multi-billion-naira water project dormant as chronic kidney disease ravages Yobe communities’, documented the experiences of residents of Gashua, Bade, Jakusko and neighbouring communities, where families have continued to lose loved ones to kidney-related illnesses.

Through interviews with patients, relatives of victims, medical experts, water officials and laboratory analysts, the report examined concerns over possible links between contaminated drinking water and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the affected communities.

One of the investigation’s major findings was that the N5.7 billion Gashua Water Supply Scheme, commissioned by the Federal Government in May 2025, was found under lock, with no visible signs of activity, despite being designed to address longstanding water shortages and provide treated water to more than one million residents.

The project was inaugurated by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, in May 2025, as a major intervention to improve access to potable water in Gashua and surrounding communities.

The ICIR’s findings raised questions about the functionality of the facility after commissioning, particularly as residents continued to depend on alternative water sources amid concerns over possible contamination.