Meet Fisayo Soyombo, Bio, Wikipedia, Birthday, Instagram, Wedding, Twitter, Family, Wife, Girlfriend, Parents, Father, Mother, Pictures, Photos, Images, House, Cars
Who is Fisayo Soyombo?
Biography Wikipedia: Fisayo Soyombo (born 27 October 1985) is a Nigerian Investigative Journalist, Writer, Editor who is a Seeker, digger & teller of hidden stories.
Fisayo Soyombo is the founder of Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). His Net Worth is about $700,000 US Dollars as at 2022 which is estimated at about ₦490,000,000 in 2022.
He describes himself as a 'Fanatic believer in the Nigeria project and an Incurable Liverpool FC fan.'
Fisayo Soyombo was a former editor at The Cable.[2] He is best known, among other things, for being the Nigerian undercover journalist who spent five days in a police cell[3] as a suspect and eight as an inmate in Ikoyi Prison[4] — to track corruption in Nigeria’s criminal justice system, after which the authorities contemplated arresting him.[5] He was also the journalist who drove the equivalent of a stolen vehicle from Abuja to Lagos, passing through a whopping 86 checkpoints in a journey of over 1,600km that lasted a cumulative 28hours 17minutes.
State Of Origin: Where is Fisayo Soyombo from? Fisayo Soyombo hails from Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.
State Of Origin: Where is Fisayo Soyombo from? Fisayo Soyombo hails from Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Date Of Birth, Birthday, Age: Fisayo Soyombo was born on 27 October 1985.
Fisayo Soyombo Age: How old is Fisayo Soyombo? Fisayo Soyombo is 37 years old as at 2022.
Net Worth: What is Fisayo Soyombo net Worth? Fisayo Soyombo net worth is about $700,000 US Dollars.
Family, Parents, Father, Mother: Fisayo Soyombo was born into the family of Mr and Mrs Soyombo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Wedding, Marriage, Wife, Children: Is Fisayo Soyombo married? No, Fisayo Soyombo is not yet married.
Instagram: Fisayo Soyombo instagram Page Account Profile Handle
Education: Fisayo Soyombo studied Animal Science at the University of Ibadan, graduating in 2009.
Journalism Career Journey: Fisayo Soyombo started with The Guardian Nigeria, then Harpostrope Limited, The Cable, Sahara Reporters, The Jobmag, The Will and The Flair as news editor. He moved to the Cable and ICIR to serve as Editor.
Awards: ‘Fisayo Soyombo has won several awards. In 2009, he was long-listed as one of the 200 winners of the World Bank Annual Global Youth Essay Contest, which featured 2, 469 entries. In 2010, he repeated the feat in a contest participated in by 2009 global applicants. In December 2011, an article he had written as a National Youth Service Corps member fetched him a nomination for the Investigative Reporter category of the Nigeria Media Merit Awards 2011.
He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Onelife Initiative for Human Development. For his brand of investigative journalism, Soyombo’s most recent honours include: Winner, Maritime Economy category, African Media Initiative awards, Kenya (December 2016); Winner, Online category, Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting, Nigeria (December 2016); Winner, Nigerian Investigative Reporter of the Year, Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (December 2016); Winner, Hans Verploeg Newcomer of the Year category, Free Press Awards, Netherlands (October 2016), 2019 Journalist of the year Award with Kiki Mordi, among others.
Twitter: Fisayo Soyombo is very active on Twitter and he trended on Twitter over 2 reasons:
- Exposure of Corruption In Nigerian Prison
- Death Of Ajimobi (Fisayo Soyombo had revealed that his sources insisted that Abiola Ajimobi was dead) When the ex Governor's death was confirmed, the investigative journalist started trending on Twitter.
The Cable: Fisayo Soyombo is a Nigerian writer and former pioneer editor of Nigerian online newspaper TheCable which he edited from 2014-2017. And he loves adventure — such as undercover reporting.
He once disguised as a clearing agent in order to expose the decay in the customs service. This earned him the 2016 Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalist of the Year award.
To write another story, he drove a “stolen” car (i.e. without documents) from Abuja to Lagos and back to Abuja, passing through 86 checkpoints. He bribed police officers at every point, so he was never properly checked. If the car was truly stolen, he would have got away with it!
His biggest risk so far has to be his prison adventure. Early 2019, when he was about to quit as editor of Sahara Reporters, he had a story idea and asked if TheCable could foot the bill. “I want to do an undercover investigation from inside the prison,” he said, as if announcing that he wanted to travel to Dubai for sight-seeing. “Someone will report me to the police that I broke a deal, I will be arrested, detained, charged to court and then remanded in prison. I want to uncover the corruption in our prisons and justice system generally. I have researched how much it will cost me to stay in a more comfortable part of the prison, have access to phones and eat noodles.”
You took a big risk to do the investigation on Nigerian police and correctional service. From reactions to your story, would you say the risk was worth taking?
Yes, it was. And it still is, even though the ultimate reaction, which is a real change in the operations of those institution, is still being awaited.
It probably won’t happen. But there is now at least a consciousness about the inefficiency of our criminal justice system. Not a bad place to begin from, I would think.
A few journalists have also told me that my story has inspired to aim for similar ideas.
If my story helps generate four or five stories of the same scale in the coming months, I would consider this a big step in the readiness of the media to spearhead the kind of intellectual revolution this country badly requires.
And I’ve heard people say the story gives them hope for a better Nigeria; I do not underestimate that; hope is one of the reasons we live. For many of us, in different areas of our lives, hope is the main reason we wake up every day.
Did you at any point fear that the mission may not succeed?
I never did. But I knew it probably wasn’t going to be a perfect job. I knew chances were high that the device could be found on me or that I would be unable to get it into certain places.
I knew the success rate hinged on a few factors I had no control over.
You narrated how a prison officer flogged you when it was discovered that you came into the prison with a recording device. What was running in your mind when he was beating you?
I felt my loyalty to my calling was being tested. I saw it as a test of my conviction that this society can work, and the role of investigative journalism in making that happen.
In any case, I took the final decision to do this story back in 2017. So, during the beating, I kept on reminding myself that I’d psyched myself up for the assignment for two years, so this was just a test of how well I fared.
You cancelled a speaking engagement and went into hiding based on reports that you could be arrested for espionage. Are you out of the country?
I’d have loved to answer, but I no longer publicly discuss my location — not even on the phone.
There is no special protection under the law for investigative journalists – which means that apart from facing prosecution for violating the NCS rules you already have a record as a felon. What is your reaction?
I haven’t violated the NCS rules. That’s what they think but that’s not what I do. I bet that’s not what any incorruptible court would think. I don’t consider myself a felon; Ojo Olajumoke is.
A number of previous investigations exposing corruption in our public institutions have been swept under the carpet. Do you think your investigation will make a difference?
It depends a lot on what “difference” means. If it’s an overhaul of the policing or prison system, I think we all must have seen, by now, that it won’t happen.
As I type this, the story is almost one month old and apart from a press statement by the NCS and public comments by the Interior Minister and the Force Spokesman, the decision-makers have taken no concrete steps.
However, if this ‘difference’ includes letting public office holders know that they need to act right because someone may just be watching or sparking a conversation about the hypocrisy of the justice system, then it already has.
There are those who believed you should not have revealed your identity while reporting. Do you agree with that?
Haha.
I hope these people also felt Ruona Agboko-Meyer and Adejuwon Soyinka shouldn’t have revealed their identities on ‘Sweet Sweet Codeine’, same as Kiki Mordin on her sex-for-grades story.
People usually cling on to general beliefs without considering case-by-case peculiarities. My cover was blown on this assignment.
The police, judiciary and prisons all knew way back in July that Ojo Olajumoke was ‘Fisayo Soyombo.
So, if I wrote this story without my byline, who was I deceiving? The major people you want me to hide from, they already knew me.
So, what was the point? I think really that we have to trust people to do what they consider the best for themselves in the context of prevailing circumstances, especially because, at the end of the day, no one is more interested in my safety than me.
After the part three of your investigation was published, you said the story has only just begun! What do you mean?
A book is coming. If I’m alive, and if I’m able to sit my bum down to put it together.
Listen, what I do comes with risks and I’m not going to deny it, so life is not a given. t?
Then, I’m a quite restless person. I really do want to get on with my next investigation. So, fingers crossed, let’s see if I end up writing this book.
Fisayo soyombo instagram
Iam Fisayo
Fisayo soyombo Biography
Fisayo soyombo Wikipedia
Fisayo soyombo Age
Fisayo soyombo Twitter
Fisayo soyombo Profile
Fisayo soyombo LinkedIn
Fisayo Soyombo University of Ibadan
Net Worth: What is Fisayo Soyombo net Worth? Fisayo Soyombo net worth is about $700,000 US Dollars.
Family, Parents, Father, Mother: Fisayo Soyombo was born into the family of Mr and Mrs Soyombo in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Wedding, Marriage, Wife, Children: Is Fisayo Soyombo married? No, Fisayo Soyombo is not yet married.
Instagram: Fisayo Soyombo instagram Page Account Profile Handle
Education: Fisayo Soyombo studied Animal Science at the University of Ibadan, graduating in 2009.
Journalism Career Journey: Fisayo Soyombo started with The Guardian Nigeria, then Harpostrope Limited, The Cable, Sahara Reporters, The Jobmag, The Will and The Flair as news editor. He moved to the Cable and ICIR to serve as Editor.
He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Onelife Initiative for Human Development. For his brand of investigative journalism, Soyombo’s most recent honours include: Winner, Maritime Economy category, African Media Initiative awards, Kenya (December 2016); Winner, Online category, Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting, Nigeria (December 2016); Winner, Nigerian Investigative Reporter of the Year, Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (December 2016); Winner, Hans Verploeg Newcomer of the Year category, Free Press Awards, Netherlands (October 2016), 2019 Journalist of the year Award with Kiki Mordi, among others.
Twitter: Fisayo Soyombo is very active on Twitter and he trended on Twitter over 2 reasons:
- Exposure of Corruption In Nigerian Prison
- Death Of Ajimobi (Fisayo Soyombo had revealed that his sources insisted that Abiola Ajimobi was dead) When the ex Governor's death was confirmed, the investigative journalist started trending on Twitter.
The Cable: Fisayo Soyombo is a Nigerian writer and former pioneer editor of Nigerian online newspaper TheCable which he edited from 2014-2017. And he loves adventure — such as undercover reporting.
He once disguised as a clearing agent in order to expose the decay in the customs service. This earned him the 2016 Wole Soyinka Investigative Journalist of the Year award.
To write another story, he drove a “stolen” car (i.e. without documents) from Abuja to Lagos and back to Abuja, passing through 86 checkpoints. He bribed police officers at every point, so he was never properly checked. If the car was truly stolen, he would have got away with it!
His biggest risk so far has to be his prison adventure. Early 2019, when he was about to quit as editor of Sahara Reporters, he had a story idea and asked if TheCable could foot the bill. “I want to do an undercover investigation from inside the prison,” he said, as if announcing that he wanted to travel to Dubai for sight-seeing. “Someone will report me to the police that I broke a deal, I will be arrested, detained, charged to court and then remanded in prison. I want to uncover the corruption in our prisons and justice system generally. I have researched how much it will cost me to stay in a more comfortable part of the prison, have access to phones and eat noodles.”
Why I revealed My Identity In The Prisons Story – Fisayo Soyombo Told https://theinterview.ng/2019/11/12/why-i-revealed-my-identity-in-the-prisons-story-fisayo-soyombo/amp/
You took a big risk to do the investigation on Nigerian police and correctional service. From reactions to your story, would you say the risk was worth taking?
Yes, it was. And it still is, even though the ultimate reaction, which is a real change in the operations of those institution, is still being awaited.
It probably won’t happen. But there is now at least a consciousness about the inefficiency of our criminal justice system. Not a bad place to begin from, I would think.
A few journalists have also told me that my story has inspired to aim for similar ideas.
If my story helps generate four or five stories of the same scale in the coming months, I would consider this a big step in the readiness of the media to spearhead the kind of intellectual revolution this country badly requires.
And I’ve heard people say the story gives them hope for a better Nigeria; I do not underestimate that; hope is one of the reasons we live. For many of us, in different areas of our lives, hope is the main reason we wake up every day.
Did you at any point fear that the mission may not succeed?
I never did. But I knew it probably wasn’t going to be a perfect job. I knew chances were high that the device could be found on me or that I would be unable to get it into certain places.
I knew the success rate hinged on a few factors I had no control over.
You narrated how a prison officer flogged you when it was discovered that you came into the prison with a recording device. What was running in your mind when he was beating you?
I felt my loyalty to my calling was being tested. I saw it as a test of my conviction that this society can work, and the role of investigative journalism in making that happen.
In any case, I took the final decision to do this story back in 2017. So, during the beating, I kept on reminding myself that I’d psyched myself up for the assignment for two years, so this was just a test of how well I fared.
You cancelled a speaking engagement and went into hiding based on reports that you could be arrested for espionage. Are you out of the country?
I’d have loved to answer, but I no longer publicly discuss my location — not even on the phone.
There is no special protection under the law for investigative journalists – which means that apart from facing prosecution for violating the NCS rules you already have a record as a felon. What is your reaction?
I haven’t violated the NCS rules. That’s what they think but that’s not what I do. I bet that’s not what any incorruptible court would think. I don’t consider myself a felon; Ojo Olajumoke is.
A number of previous investigations exposing corruption in our public institutions have been swept under the carpet. Do you think your investigation will make a difference?
It depends a lot on what “difference” means. If it’s an overhaul of the policing or prison system, I think we all must have seen, by now, that it won’t happen.
As I type this, the story is almost one month old and apart from a press statement by the NCS and public comments by the Interior Minister and the Force Spokesman, the decision-makers have taken no concrete steps.
However, if this ‘difference’ includes letting public office holders know that they need to act right because someone may just be watching or sparking a conversation about the hypocrisy of the justice system, then it already has.
There are those who believed you should not have revealed your identity while reporting. Do you agree with that?
Haha.
I hope these people also felt Ruona Agboko-Meyer and Adejuwon Soyinka shouldn’t have revealed their identities on ‘Sweet Sweet Codeine’, same as Kiki Mordin on her sex-for-grades story.
People usually cling on to general beliefs without considering case-by-case peculiarities. My cover was blown on this assignment.
The police, judiciary and prisons all knew way back in July that Ojo Olajumoke was ‘Fisayo Soyombo.
So, if I wrote this story without my byline, who was I deceiving? The major people you want me to hide from, they already knew me.
So, what was the point? I think really that we have to trust people to do what they consider the best for themselves in the context of prevailing circumstances, especially because, at the end of the day, no one is more interested in my safety than me.
After the part three of your investigation was published, you said the story has only just begun! What do you mean?
A book is coming. If I’m alive, and if I’m able to sit my bum down to put it together.
Listen, what I do comes with risks and I’m not going to deny it, so life is not a given. t?
Then, I’m a quite restless person. I really do want to get on with my next investigation. So, fingers crossed, let’s see if I end up writing this book.
Fisayo soyombo instagram
Iam Fisayo
Fisayo soyombo Biography
Fisayo soyombo Wikipedia
Fisayo soyombo Age
Fisayo soyombo Twitter
Fisayo soyombo Profile
Fisayo soyombo LinkedIn
Fisayo Soyombo University of Ibadan
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