Nigerian Investigative journalist, Tunde Omolehin has been selected as one of the finalists in the senior journalist category for the The Stringer Awards 2026, a prestigious recognition honoring journalists working under difficult and often dangerous conditions.
The founder of the The Stringer Foundation, Anjan Sundaram, announced the 25 inaugural finalists on April 13, as published by The International New York Times.
He commended their courageous reporting across regions despite threats, legal pressures, and financial instability.
“We honour the 25 inaugural finalists of The Stringer Awards 2026 who have shown courage in the face of physical attacks, legal threats, and financial hardship,” Sundaram said.
He described the finalists as journalists operating with limited institutional backing while covering critical issues of public interest.
“These reporters are the last line of accountability, working on the front-lines, often receiving little institutional support or public recognition,” he added.
Sundaram further noted that even those with staff positions “go above and beyond to report from dangerous places in the public interest,” emphasizing that the finalists “set the global standard for courageous journalism.”
He added that the foundation aims to support their safety, outreach, and stability.
Omolehin is an independent journalist covering Northwest Nigeria, with reporting focused on climate justice, gender development, public health, migration and human rights.
His work has appeared in major outlets including The Guardian, Associated Press, Dialogue Earth, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, BusinessDay and The Sun, among others.
His recent reporting has been supported by fellowships and grants from institutions such as TheCable Foundation, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, and the Africa-China Reporting Project.
This latest recognition adds to a growing list of honours for his data-driven journalism. In 2025, he won the Indie Media Maverick Awards, receiving top recognition in the Digital Journalism category for his reporting on climate justice.
He has also previously won the PAJI African Prize for Investigative Journalism in Dakar, Senegal (2023), the Hostwriter Collaborative Prize in Bonn, Germany (2022), and was named runner-up in the Online category of the International Organization for Migration Reporting Award in 2023.
Over the years, Omolehin has participated in several fellowship institutions, including the School of Digital Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, the Wits Centre for Journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Africa-China Reporting Project, African Academy for Open Source Investigation in Senegal, Africa Data Hub Community Journalism Fellowship and Dataphate Biodiversity Media Project.
