Daily Trust’s Abubakar Ibrahim wins Michael Elliot Award

Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, an editor with Daily Trust newspaper, Abuja, is the 2018 winner of the prestigious Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling. The award is given by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with ONE and the Elliott family for Ibrahim’s story  All That Was Familiar, published in Granta magazine […]

Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, an editor with Daily Trust newspaper, Abuja, is the 2018 winner of the prestigious Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling.

The award is given by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with ONE and the Elliott family for Ibrahim’s story  All That Was Familiar, published in Granta magazine in May 2017.

A release by ICFJ, said, “The story puts a human face on a story often expressed in numbers. More than 2 million people from northeastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Niger have been internally displaced since Boko Haram began its insurgency. Ibrahim tells about the struggle of two women, one from Cameroon and one from Nigeria, to find their loved ones and return home.”

The award was established in 2016 in honor of Michael Elliott, an outstanding editor and philanthropist whose life was a testament to the power of storytelling to bear witness to and improve the human condition.

Elliot’s widow, Emma Oxford according to the release, said, “Mike would be thrilled by the breadth and depth of talent displayed by the entrants for this year’s award.”

“The Elliott family, along with ONE, ICFJ and many generous supporters, is proud to help support the development of quality journalism in Africa. I am hugely grateful to the staff of ICFJ and my fellow judges for their thoughtful review of the broad range of entries.”

She added that, “The winning story exemplifies outstanding storytelling on a difficult and important topic. Abubakar’s fearless reporting and powerful writing brought home to me the hardships faced by women, in particular, displaced by the scourge of Boko Haram.”

ICFJ said, “The prize aims to advance the work of an emerging journalist covering Africa who strives to strengthen people’s voices and improve their well-being. The inaugural winner was Kenyan health reporter Mercy Juma.”

Ibrahim will receive the award and a cash prize at a reception in New York on May 24. He also will spend time in U.S. newsrooms to learn new skills and share knowledge in an intensive, customized program run by ICFJ.