Nigeria’s Philip Obaji shortlisted for World ‘Most Resilient Journalist Award’
Philip Obaji
Nigerian journalist Philip Obaji has made the shortlist of three candidates for the 2023 Free Press Unlimited Most Resilient Journalist Award.
The award recognizes a journalist or media professional who has a strong commitment with press freedom and independent information.
Obaji, whose searing exclusives for The Daily Beast lifted the lid on several atrocities carried out by the notorious Wagner Group, known as Putin’s private army, is one of three candidates shortlisted for the award. Andersson Boscan from Ecuador and Dickey Muftuoglu from Turkey are the other two nominated for the prestigious award.
In June, Obaji received the Jaime Brunet International Human Rights Prize, an award previously won by the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis, and became the first Nigerian to win the One World Media International Journalist of the Year award.
Nominees of the Most Resilient Journalist Award, according to Free Press Unlimited, an Amsterdam-based international press freedom organization that collaborates with over 300 local media partners in more than 50 countries, “have often faced imprisonment, violence and censorship for doing their job,” and “are generally highly-regarded journalists who are willing to risk their life or their freedom in order to keep the public informed.”
Previous winners of the Most Resilient Journalist Award are the late Mantas Kvedaravičius (2022), Rozina Islam from Bangladesh (2021), and Maria Ressa from the Philippines (2020).
The 2023 award will be presented during a live event in The Hague, the Netherlands, on October 31, just after the winner has been announced.
Pmnewsnigeria.com