DW Correspondent Emerges Science, Environmental Journalist Of The Year 2022, Bags Double Award
African Institute of Waste Management and Environmental Studies has awarded Ibrahima Yakubu, a senior correspondent of German International Radio (Deutsche Welle), Hausa Service, with an honor for outstanding sacrifice towards reportage relating to science, climate change, tropical disease, environmental degradation and efforts protection marine species against extinction due to human irrational activities of dumping all sorts of trash and garbage into the river.
According to the Registrar of the Institute, Dr Ahmed Lateef Tayo, the institute deems it fit to honor the recipient for daily reportage on issues science and environmental related issues.
The one-day science conference which draw journalist, climatologists, geologists and environmentalists from various universities, states and tertiary institutions has gotten large number of attendance.
Ibrahima won the Science and Environmental Journalist of the year award for writing series of reportage and news items category with the story titled “Saving the Lives of Millions Aquatic Marine Against Massive Tons of Hazardous Plastic Waste Pollution in Ocean.”
Stressing that Ibrahima is awarded for the outstanding science and environmental reporting and this is the first time the institute is recognizing the activities of an exceptional journalist with an outstanding performance in african countries
He said solutions journalism is a reporting that focuses on possible responses to societal problems, evaluating how well they work and what others can learn from them.
Addressing participants during the awards ceremony at Gusau Institute in Kaduna State, North Western Nigeria , the Director African climate reporters, Mr Nurudden Bello stressed the need for the importance of science journalism amids of pandemic era bedevilling peace stability among mankind.
He appealed to all African journalist to embrace the fundamentals of development journalism and eschew misinformation at all time.
He also encouraged them to be focusing on climate journalism like their counterparts in developed countries.
Adding that the world is changing, so also news diseases are spreading such as zoonocies and other tropical diseases that is affecting human, animal and other living organism in the environment.
The recipient, Ibrahima Yakubu said his everyday job is to learn something new in science.
“Science Journalism continues to play an important role in bringing science to a wider audience in a way that may be more accessible and understandable.”
He called on all the journalists to embrace Solution Journalism.