AN investigative report titled “Gas Flaring: Niger Delta Communities Suffer as oil giants fail to pay Nearly N500 billion in penalties” by Ekemini Simon has emerged winner of the 5th Ray Ekpu Investigative Journalism Prize.
The report, supported by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) is one of the organisation’s contributions to accountability journalism in Nigeria since its founding over a decade ago.
The first ICIR-supported investigation to claim the top honour was at the Ray Ekpu Investigative Journalism Prize maiden edition in 2021 with the story, “Akwa Ibom Governor, SSG in Multi-Billion Naira Scandal,” jointly reported by Simon and Abasifreke Effiong.
The recurring recognition underscores The ICIR’s role in nurturing investigative journalism that holds power to account, amplifies community voices, and strengthens public interest reporting in Nigeria.
The announcement was made during the Inoyo Toro Foundation’s 18th Teachers’ Awards and 5th Ray Ekpu Award for Investigative Journalism, held on Friday, November 7, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The chairperson of the screening committee, Nsikak Essien, said that the committee received 27 entries for the award within and outside Akwa Ibom.
“The issues handled were more diverse and rich. They were more competitive,” Essien said, noting that the entries recorded a significant rise in quality and numbers from other editions.
The winning entry, “Gas Flaring: Niger Delta Communities Suffer as Oil Giants Fail to Pay Nearly N500 Billion in Penalties, published in December 2024, is a two-part investigation that exposed multi-billion-naira shortfalls in gas flare penalty payments by oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.
It revealed how the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) failed to enforce the collection of penalties mandated under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) funds intended for environmental remediation and community relief projects.
Simon’s report further highlighted the devastating environmental and economic impacts of gas flaring on local communities and how government inaction continues to exacerbate poverty and pollution across oil-producing areas.
For his outstanding work, Simon received a cash prize of N500,000.
The second prize went to Saviour Imukudo of Premium Times, who received N300,000, while Enwongabasi Elisha of The Crest Newspaper took third place, earning N200,000.
The Ray Ekpu Investigative Journalism Prize, established in 2021 by the Inoyo Toro Foundation, honours the legacy of Ray Ekpu, veteran journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine.
The foundation also promotes quality education and media excellence in Akwa Ibom State.
The ICIR reports that this year’s victory marks Simon’s fourth time winning the prestigious award, having previously won in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and finishing runner-up in 2024.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.