Dr. Aviola Akiyode Afolabi, Human Rights Lawyer and Lecturer at the University of Lagos Law School (UNILAG), received an award from the Wol Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). #Unilag

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Her Akiyode-Afolabi, founder of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC) and former spokesperson for Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), said the Soinka Award ceremony for the 17th Annual Wole The Research Report It is scheduled for Thursday 8th December in Lagos.

WSCIJ Secretary General Motunrayo Alaka informed her in a letter dated 23 November 2022.

“17. Wole Soinka Center Honorary Award Nominee” reads: Aviola Aforabi Akiyode. She is pleased to announce on behalf of the Wal Soinka Investigative Journalism Center (WSCIJ) Board of Trustees, the organization’s decision to present the 2022 Human Rights Defender Award at the 17th Annual Wol Soinka Investigative Journalism Awards Ceremony. I am happy.

“This year’s awards ceremony will be part of her Amplify In-Depth Media Conference and Awards, which includes the Amplify In-Depth Media Conference and annual awards,” she said. The conference, themed to-depth media and democratic governance, will hold on Thursday 8th and Friday 9th December from 10am to 2:
30pm while the award event is scheduled for Friday 9th by 3pm at the NECA House, Hakeem Balogun Street, off Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.

“The search committee for the award came up with an overwhelming recommendation of your many efforts to fight abuses of human rights in Nigeria, and in Africa; your consistency in defending human rights in general and the rights if girls and women in particular. The fight for equity in Nigeria has been a swim against the tide in many aspects and this award comes to honour your bravery and acknowledge the huge movement for change that you lead.

The WSCIJ introduced the Anti-Corruption/Human Rights Defender Award in 2009 in collaboration with four human rights organisations in the country, including yours, intending to honour a Nigerian individual or organisation of outstanding ethical dimension whose personality, and professional engagements, deeply incarnates the total ramification of integrity in our nation’s life. We will give the award under the human rights specialty this year.”

Recipients of the anti-corruption defender award in the past years were Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (posthumous), Justice Kayode Eso, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, the Socio- Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), Prof Attahiru Jega, Public Private Development Centre (PPDC), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili and Mr. Waziri Adio. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, Amnesty International (Nigeria) Femi Falana and Innocent Chukwuma received the (post-mortem) Human Rights Specialist Award.

The award was first announced in 2005 to annually reward rigorous reporting and best practices in the art of investigative reporting in the Nigerian media.