Joseph Olaoluwa

2023

Entry type: Portfolio

Country/area: Nigeria

Publishing organisation: The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR)

Organisation size: Small

Cover letter:

Joseph Olaoluwa is a mid career journalist with at least eight years of experience. He has served as the online correspondent for the Nation newspapers. He is a short story writer, and served as the guest columnist for Naija PR.com, He is also the Author of Mementoes, a poetry anthology based on OAU. He is into logistics and public speaking. He has contributed to international journals like Her heart poetry where his picture poetry on Instagram was chosen and published. He was also a former General Secretary for the Association of Campus Journalists, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and a former Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Editorials) for The Megaphone News Agency in his college days.

He has written several Op-ed pieces and feature stories for Nigerian Standard, Sahara Reporters, Qwenu and Today News Africa. He is an investigative journalist and passionate about human interest stories. In 2017, Joseph Olaoluwa was named as one of the 20 fellows to win the International Centre for Investigative Journalism (ICIR) Reporting Fellowship. In 2018, he was selected as a Participant on an EU-SDG sponsored Media training workshop on best practices and professional reporting of 2019 General Elections in Nigeria. He is a Multimedia Journalist, one that is enthusiastic for new forms and methods of storytelling. He is a data journalist, versed in creating compelling infographics and Data Mapping. His overall writing and editing experience is over six years old.

He is a versatile reporter, writer and editor with diverse interests in Capital Market, FinTech, Small and Medium Businesses, Travel, Tourism, Human interest stories, Entertainment and Lifestyle. Olaoluwa is a beautiful mind, adventurous and a great thinker. His alone time is best spent contemplating the world, politics, trends, businesses, places, philosophies and beliefs.

His works have appeared in the Nation Newspaper, Ripples Nigeria, Pulse Nigeria, Nigeria Standard, Sahara Reporters, The Cable, and Nairametrics. At Nairametrics, he was mentored by Emmanuel Abara Benson, its current Editor. At Punch, it was Femi Asu, BusinessDay’s current News Editor, at Nigerian Standard, it was Paul Jatau and at the Nation, it was Lekan Otufodunrin, ED of Media Career NG.

What inspires me to tell compelling stories is the desire for change. As a Nigerian, storytelling is the only way things can turn around for the better in Nigeria. And the economic and societal conditions is that trigger to help inform, educate, liberate the citizens while exposing government ills. Some of the reports shared in this current portfolio of mine are attempts to use data journalism to cause change. Some reveal the ineptitude of givernment and corporations while others, use data to simplify and tell compelling stories to educate, inform, liberate and cause a positibve change in action, especially now that elections are approaching.

Description of portfolio:

1. In Lagos, Nigeria, a city of over 22 million people, accommodation is more than just a problem- it is a huge thing of worry. Several people do not have where to stay and are forced to roam the streets, sleep under bridges, fall into crime and compromise themselves and their values, just because accommodation in the city is both scarce and very expensive.

Getting a basic studio flat apartment or a one bedroom, is difficult, as well as finding the right amenities, or even funding to be able to put down between N500,000- N700,000 (around $400 or more) to afford the most basic living facility. This has led to situations of inequalities, and the heightened inflation plus global shock in the world, hasn’t made the matter any better.

As with the spirit of good storytelling, this story utilises interactive infographics, pictures and analysis to deconstruct what this means to its audience while tackling the government’s faux idea of low cost housing.

2. While Lagosians battle lack of accommodation, a carefully curated data from year media reports showed how 10 buildings have collapsed between November 2021 till October 2022, which is a year period. In 2022, nine buildings collapsed; eight were under the past commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Salako, while one is under the current commissioner, Omotayo Bamgbose-Martins. 28 deaths were tracked by the ICIR from February 2022 till October 2022.

3. The data report spotlights how air travel delays have impacted customers trust in Nigerian airlines. It singled out Air Peace, Max and Arik Air as the airlines with the most delays while Overland, Dana and Azman Air were the airlines with the most percentage of delays. This data is a trend data showing how unreliable Nigerian airlines are and the reason for code share trips to stop frustrating travellers.

4. This story delves into why Nigerian airlines are known to be unrelaible. With series of data about the planes Nigeria airlines use, sourced from Planespotter and with the help of experts, we used data to tell a story of how the issue of grounded fleet affects airlines schedules and cause flight delays. This story led to the grouding of Aero and Dana for a few safety audits for three months.

5. This story uses infographic and media reports to track the number of music artistes that show up late and analyse how it has become a problem for show goers in the country. It also engages experts to seek out a solution to the endemic for Nigerian fun lovers. It caused media professionals to weight into the matter with one of the singers offering an apology later for his lateness.

6. Over the years, the desire to get a body enhancement surgery, otherwise known as a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) surgery has pushed many Nigerian women to their deaths. At least, five women between 2019 and 2022 in Nigeria, have suffered either death or deformity via these procedures and one particular doctor, Dr Anuoluwapo Adepoju has been found guilty of botched procedures in Nigeria, my country. It got great feedback from readers who felt informed thereafter

7. This story uses data to argue for and against why sugar tax should be levied on drinks. As well Its impact and whether Nigeria’s Finance Minister was just taxing for funds or health reasons. The story is a contribution to the argument on taxation in Nigeria and had a few people reach out to myself and the ICIR on how important the story was and helped them to make better decisions.