In a clime where many activities of the government are shrouded in the interest of a selfish few to the detriment of the masses, self-effacing Idris Akinbajo, an award winning investigative journalist and managing editor of PREMIUM TIMES, is one of the few young Nigerian journalists who have not settled for routine news reporting.
For Idris, investigative reporting is the soul of journalism. As such, digging, unearthing sharp practices and corruption in the Nigerian public sector to promote adherence to due process, fairness and justice in our society is Idris’ delight, notwithstanding the risks and hostilities involved in such trade.
His investigation in the Nigerian petroleum sector has exposed series of unethical and sharp practices. And for his investigation on the mismanagement of Nigerian government’s programmes to fight poverty and meet basic standard-of-living goals, called Millennium Development Goals, he was honoured as Nigeria’s Investigative Journalist of the Year 2012.
In the same year, he won The Future Awards African Young Person of the Year. But beyond the awards and recognition Idris has won, his work projects him as one of the voices using investigative journalism to protect public interest.
If sincere anti-corruption war, demand for transparency and accountability in public sector and the society in general are the keys to the birth of the new Nigeria many crave for, we cannot but commend the good work of courageous and bright minds like Idris who are contributing their quota, in this regard, with the pen.
