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Summary
NFM Founder Simbiat Bakare was recognized as a finalist at the African Fact-Checking Awards held in Ghana on October 10, 2024.
Simbiat Bakare takes the runner-up spot in the Professional Fact-Checker Category at the African Fact-Checking Awards on October 10, 2024, in Accra, Ghana.
The honour reflects Simbiat’s dedicated fact-checking and investigative efforts on her story, “INVESTIGATION: Odalo, Nigeria’s Twitter Swindler Faking ‘Heart Disease’ to Scam Women.” published on DUBAWA on November 4, 2023.
Her thorough work exposed a fraudulent scheme, underscoring the vital role of fact-checking in protecting vulnerable women from online scams and deceptions.
The African Fact-checking Awards is the longest-running awards programme celebrating fact-checking journalism in the African Media. The awards gala concluded the African Facts Summit 2024. The Gala honours journalists for their significant contributions to combating misinformation across the continent through impactful reporting.
NFM founder Simbiat Bakare emerged as runner-up alongside James Okong’o of AFP in the Professional Fact-Checker Category. Anna Salif Hamindu from Faso Check won the category. Other finalists for the African Fact-Checking Awards include Ousmane Mamoudou for Working Journalist, Diksha Caulleechurn, Mansha Deenoo, Preetish Kishto, and Lloyd Lallmamode for Student Journalist.
“It’s a delight to have secured the runner-up position for the Professional Fact-checker category,” Simbiat Bakare said.
She emphasised that receiving recognition for her story shows the importance of women’s narratives and the need to embrace and share them.
“Often, stories about male violence against women, especially in relation to romance fraud, are rarely told. Receiving recognition for the story at the prestigious African Fact-Checking Awards showed that women’s stories are important and we should not shy away from reporting them,” Simbiat stated.
The winner of the Professional Fact-checking Category will receive $3,000, while the runner-ups will each receive $1,500.
