AN investigative report commissioned by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) has emerged winner at the 2021 Nigeria Merit Media Award (NMMA).
The 2020 edition of Nigeria’s most prestigious journalism award, which was held in Lokoja, Kogi State, had in attendance journalists, editors and dignitaries.
The report ‘Digital farmers’ scandal: Nigerians lose hope, investment to phoney agro projects’ was done by Gbenga Salau, a reporter with The Guardian.
Salau’s report exposed three digital farmers in Oyo and Ogun states, who promised investors high return on investment (ROI) but failed to redeem their pledges.
The farms of two of the digital farmers could not be located at the advertised sites, while one of them that could not fulfill its financial obligations to investors had a closed office.
The promoter of the third farm, though existing, failed to give investors their ROI, more than three months after the due date.
The organisers, the NMMA Trust, had a total of 1,050 entries from 731 reporters, which were the highest ever received since the inauguration of the awards in 1991.
Blessing Otoibhi is a Multimedia Journalist and Anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting. You can shoot her a mail via [email protected] or connect on Twitter @B_otoibhi