SOWORE: Soyinka Centre postpones award for Osinbajo over freedom of speech repression

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism has postponed its plan to confer on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, an honorary award.

The Centre had earlier announced it would confer on Osinbajo, Amnesty International and a veteran photojournalist, Sunmi Smart-Cole, honorary awards.

The awards were expected to be conferred on them during the 14th Wole Soyinka Award Presentation holding on Monday at NECA House, Ikeja.

However, in a statement on its verified Twitter handle -@WSoyinkaCentre, and signed by its Executive Director/CEO, Motunrayo Alaka, the Centre announced that it would no longer present its award to the vice president as earlier scheduled.

The Centre said its decision to postpone the award for Osinbajo was to align with protests against alleged repression of freedom of speech in recent times in Nigeria, especially the incident between the Department of State Security (DSS) and the convener of the #RevolutionNow protest, Omoyele Sowore.

It wrote: “The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism has postponed the presentation of award to the Nigerian Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

“The postponement was decided on, to align with protests against the repression of #FreedomOfSpeech in recent times, especially the incident between the Department of State Security (DSS) and @YeleSowore, Publisher of @SaharaReporters, on Friday 6 December.

“The Vice President @ProfOsinbajo himself shares this awareness and the inappropriateness of the award at this point.”

READ ALSO: Less than 100, 000 Nigerians bothered about Sowore’s plight – Presidency

The group, meanwhile, said that the award presentation programme would hold as scheduled.

The centre would celebrate 13 journalists from print, online, television, radio, photo, and editorial cartoon categories at the event.

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