Two reporters from Premium Times have secured a spot in the final three for the 2026 African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award. The honour recognises their joint probe into lead contamination from battery recycling in Nigeria, conducted with The Examination. The Wits Centre for Journalism, backed by Absa Africa, is running the prize in its fourth year to honour investigative work that serves the public interest across the continent.
Oladeinde Olawoyin, who edits the Business and Economy desk, and Folashade Ogunrinde led the investigation. Their work centred on Ogijo in Ogun State, a locality hosting multiple battery recycling plants. The team commissioned independent blood tests for 70 residents and collected soil and air samples near the factories to build a scientific case for the pollution levels.
According to Premium Times, seven in ten of the residents tested showed harmful lead concentrations, while every factory worker sampled had been poisoned. The report estimated that over 20,000 people resided within a mile of the plants. The project also traced the global supply chain, showing that recycled Nigerian lead reached an American battery maker via the trading firm Trafigura.
The winner and runners-up will be revealed at a gala during the African Investigative Journalism Conference, running 10 to 12 November at the Edge Convention Centre in Nairobi. The 2026 cycle drew more than 200 submissions. Gwen Lister, the lead judge, noted that selecting finalists was difficult given the volume of high-quality work. Dinesh Balliah, head of the Wits Centre, stated the award highlights journalism’s accountability role despite resource limits and misinformation.
The other finalists include Naipanoi Lepapa from Kenya and Jeff Wicks from South Africa. Since publication, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency closed Ogijo facilities, and the Ogun State Government pledged to test residents for exposure. The project has also collected international honours, including the Selden Ring Award and the John B. Oakes Award for environmental reporting.