CAMPUS REPORTER Alumnus Emerges Finalist for Thomson Foundation Award

Adejumo Kabir, a CAMPUS REPORTER Alumnus and reporter with PREMIUM TIMES has emerged as a finalist for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.

Mr  Kabir emerged as one of the three finalists from the list of twelve shortlisted journalists from Syria, Brazil, Peru, Ukraine, Palestine, Egypt, India, Kenya and Nigeria.

The Award, in its eighth edition, attracted almost 200 entries from four continents around the world. 

Mr Kabir, alongside two other young journalists – Martin Leandro Camacho and Anna Myroniuk – emerged as one of the top three entrants from which the winner will be announced on Monday 23rd November 2020 at 7 pm UK time.

The award invited young journalists aged 30 or under from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) Per Capital of less than $20,000, to enter three pieces of work for scrutiny by the foundation and by independent judges selected by the UK’s Foreign Press Association (FPA).

Mr Kabir’s three stories that placed him on the list of finalists are investigative stories which centred on social justice. In one of the stories, Kabir exposes the irregularities by border guards receiving bribes to help people cross between Nigeria and Benin Republic, despite the border closure to contain the spread of COVID-19. His two other submissions are stories in which he examined how Nigerian Police supports illegal gold mining in South-West Nigeria, and how families of Nigerian Soldiers killed in battles with Boko Haram are neglected by the government.

His grit and determination were commended by the judges. In one of their comments, “He embodies what good journalism should stand for at a time when freedom of speech and expression are so much under threat around the world,” the judge said.

Mr Kabir is known to have made a lot of qualitative investigative reportings that shook Nigeria’s media space. One of such stories is the popular OAU Sex-for-mark Scandal in 2019.

In an interview session with Adejumo Kabir, our reporter asked about his expectation if he emerges winner. 

“If I emerge the winner, to me, it is not a well-done award. Rather, it is an award that will challenge me to do more,” he responded.

“CAMPUS REPORTER gave me the opportunity in 2017 and it served as the platform that catapulted me to PREMIUM TIMES. I wrote over 200 articles for PREMIUM TIMES and on many other platforms before I started making a penny from Journalism. My resolution was to never give up my passion to be the voice of the voiceless, and that is what pushed me till this stage,” he added.

Mr Kabir, who started as a Campus Journalist, has this message for Campus Journalists and aspiring journalists: “Don’t practise Campus Journalism if you won’t practice journalism after school.”

If Mr Kabir emerges the winner on Monday, he will be the first young Nigerian journalist to bag the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award.

This was confirmed in an email chat with the Thomson Foundation’s Communications Manager, Sara Loane.

“We’ve had finalists from Nigeria before, but currently no overall winner from Nigeria,” she noted.