Again, Ekemini Simon Wins Ibanga Isine Impact Reporter Award
TheMail Newspaper
An Investigative Journalist with TheMail Newspaper, Ekemini Simon has yet again clinched the 2025 Ibanga Isine Impact Reporter Award.
The award was announced on Friday, December 5, during the Dinner and Award Night of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, held in Uyo.
Simon’s winning report supported by Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is titled “In Akwa Ibom, pregnant women, babies die due to poorly-equipped PHCs while govt waste billions,” and was published in Premium Times in September 2025.
The investigation uncovered the dire state of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Akwa Ibom, many of which were poorly staffed, ill-equipped, locked, or unable to provide night services, conditions that forced pregnant women to rely on unsafe alternatives and contributed to preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The report also spotlighted a mismatch in government priorities, revealing how Governor Umo Eno’s administration approved the purchase of 13 luxury SUVs valued at about ₦1.3 billion for federal lawmakers at a time when the state faced troubling maternal health indicators. Health experts interviewed in the story noted that such funds could have sustained PHC staffing and improved service delivery for years.
Less than 48 hours after the investigation was published, the Akwa Ibom State government declared a state of emergency in the health sector. The response included plans to upgrade medical facilities, reopen the state recruitment portal, and hire 2,000 health workers without the previously criticised requirement for applicants to present their Voter Identification Number (VIN).
According to the Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, the state also approved the upgrading of health training institutions, the training of health professionals, and the engagement of retired but willing medical personnel on contract. A 12-member inter-ministerial steering committee chaired by the Commissioner for Health, Ekem Emmanuel, was also inaugurated.
Endowed by Utibe Ukim, Managing Director and CEO of XL Communications Limited, the Ibanga Isine Impact Reporter Award comes with a cash prize of ₦500,000. The prize honours veteran investigative journalist Ibanga Isine, celebrated for his award-winning exposés on corruption within security agencies, state-linked violence, and human rights abuses.
Since its inception in 2023, the award has been presented twice and on both occasions, to Ekemini Simon.
Presenting the award, Ukim commended Simon’s dedication to public interest and accountability reporting. “Society collapses when journalists see nothing and say nothing,” he said, calling on reporters to remain steadfast in holding power to account.
Simon is also a four-time winner of the Ray Ekpu Investigative Journalism Prize and Best Journalist on Open Contract Reporting Project (OCRP) in Nigeria endowed by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) in 2021. He came third on OCRP in 2024.