By Perpetua Onuegbu

Mr Debo Adebayo, aka Mr Macaroni, one of the winners of the 2021 Gatefield  Peoples Journalism Prize for Africa (PJPA) has donated his 1,000 dollars prize towards human rights advocacy.

Adebayo made the donation to Connect Hub NG, a Non-Governmental Organisation that advocates against state violence in Nigeria.

The Project Manager, Gatefield People Journalism for Africa, Miss Safiya Ibrahim, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to Ibrahim, Adebayo won the prize in the category of the People Newsmaker for Social Justice, on May 3, 2022.

Ibrahim quoted Adebayo as saying, “I have just received the 1,000 dollars cash prize as the Gatefield PJPA winner of the Peoples Newsmaker for Justice.

“I will in turn give this cash prize to HubNGR to support their selfless work in advocating against state violence in Nigeria.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on May 3, Gatefield announced the winners of the 2021 People Journalism Prize for Africa.

PJPA is a public service journalism initiative to recognise and reward journalists, citizen reporters and social justice newsmakers on the continent.

Ibrahim said the 2021 nominees and winners were selected by journalists, human rights defenders and public opinion shapers across the continent.

Two other winners were given cash prizes along with Adebayo.

They are Daneel Knoetze, who won the People Journalist of the Year 2021; Lucy Kassa, for winning People Journalist for Informed Commentary 2021.

“Daneel Knoetze is an investigative journalist from South Africa and a 2017 Cronkite Humphrey Fellow.

“His work, `Killing the Files’, exposes the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and its failure to properly conduct investigations, hold police accountable, and bring justice to the victims.

“Knoetze also has a documentary titled: ‘A Killing in the Winelands’ that delves into a cornerstone incident in the investigation.

“We selected Daneel Knoetze and the Viewfinder team for exposing a sinister cover up scheme within the South African Police Service’s internal watchdog that offers protection to violent officers,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim said People Journalist for Informed Commentary 2021 – Lucy Kassa – is an Ethiopian investigative journalist.

Kassa won the title for having reported extensively on the war in Northern Ethiopia and continued to report on the atrocities committed by all sides in the war in Northern Ethiopia.

She said Kassa was attacked and denounced by the Ethiopian government after her Los Angeles Times piece about the atrocities carried out by Eritrean mercenary soldiers in the war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia.

“We selected Lucy Kassa for documenting the atrocities of the Ethiopian war, exposing the use of chemical weapons against civilians and the rape of women caught in the conflict.

“People Newsmaker for Social Justice 2021–Mr Debo Adedayo won the title because at personal risk, he remained undeterred after the brutal murder of anti-police brutality #endsars protesters in Lagos, Nigeria.

“He advocated for victims’ accountability and was arrested for leading the #occupylekkitollgate protests in memory of state violence victims.

“We selected Adebayo for remaining undeterred in his pursuit of justice and accountability for the victims,” Ibrahim said.

NAN reports that Gatefield is a sub-Saharan African public strategy and media group that influences positive change.

The PJPA is Gatefield’s leading corporate social responsibility commitment to advance democratic freedom and societal change. (NAN)