Dapo Olorunyomi, the founder and chief editor of Premium Times, a Nigerian online newspaper, appointed Musikilu Mojeed as Editor-in-Chief when the workload became overwhelming for him.
According to search results, Olorunyomi is a Nigerian journalist who co-founded and serves as the CEO and publisher of Premium Times.
He is also the publisher of Nigeria’s top investigative news platform. Olorunyomi is known for dedicating his life to holding the powerful accountable and advocating fiercely for press freedom.
He has received numerous awards for his work, including the 1995 and 1996 PEN Center (West) Freedom to Write Award and the Press Freedom Award (1996) from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) New York. In 2021, he faced legal troubles for publishing an article deemed libelous and defamatory.
Wikipedia Profile and Background
| Real Name: | Oladapo Oyekunle Olorunyomi |
| Other Name: | Dapo Olorunyomi |
| Date of Birth: | 8 November 1957 |
| Age: | 66 years old @ 2022 |
| State of Origin: | Southwestern State of Nigeria |
| Place of Birth: | Kano State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Wife: | Ladi Olorunyomi |
| Occupation: | Journalist |
| Net Worth: | $1 million > |
| Known For: | Owner of Premium Times |
| Education: | Obafemi Awolowo University Oxford University American University and Washington College of Law |
| Parents: | Samuel Akinbayo Olorunyomi (father) Mary Olorunyomi (mother) |
Dapo Olorunyomi Biography
Olorunyomi was born in Kano, Nigeria, to Samuel Akinbayo Olorunyomi and Mary Olorunyomi. Samuel Akinbayo Olorunyomi retired from the Army and then from the civil service as an Administrator.
Oyedapo Oyekunle Olorunyomi is a journalist from Nigeria. Dapo is the owner and chief editor of the Nigerian online newspaper Premium Times.
He is also the head of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ). He was the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s policy director and chief of staff (EFCC).
Education Background
He went to St. Bartholomew’s Primary School in Wusasa, Zaria, Esie-Iludun Anglican Grammar School in Esie-Iludun, and the Government Secondary School in Ilorin.
In 1981, he got a Bachelor of Arts in English Studies from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. In 1985, he got a Master of Arts in Literature from the same school.
He has a Certificate in Natural Resource Management from the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (2017) and a Certificate in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from American University, Washington College of Law (2006).
Parents: Father and Mother
He is the third of six siblings. Sola Olorunyomi, one of his siblings, wrote Afrobeat: Fela and the Imagined Continent, a well-known book about Fela Kuti, the man who started Afrobeat.
How old Is Dapo Olorunyomi
The journalist is currently at the age of 66 years old, as of 2023. He was born on 8 November, 1957 in Kano State, Nigeria.
State of Origin and Place of Birth
The actor is originally from the southwestern part of Nigeria, mainly occupied by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. He was born in Kano State, Nigeria.
Net Worth
Dapo Olorunyomi is worth more than $1 million.
Career
As an editor, he worked for Radio Nigeria and The African Guardian. He was the enterprise editor and head of the Investigative Reporting Team for Timbuktu Media Limited (publishers of 234Next), and founding editor of The News, PM News and Tempo Magazine.
When Olorunyomi came back to Nigeria in 2004 after being sent away, he worked for Freedom House as the Project Director.
Later, he became the director of policy and chief of staff for the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. In these roles, he was in charge of the Commission’s efforts to prevent crimes and teach people about corruption.
He is on the boards of many organizations, such as the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism, which is an initiative of the UNODC, and CENOZO, a transnational investigative body for West Africa with its headquarters in Burkina Faso.
Between 1999 and 2001, Olorunyomi served on the International Jury for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists Award.
Global Survey of Media
In 2004, he worked for the Global Survey of Media Independence as the West Africa Analyst. He is the head judge for the African Media Initiative’s Zimeo Award (AMI). In 2005, he started something called the Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Award (WSIRA).
This was renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) in 2008. This is a non-profit organization that works on social justice and investigative journalism to find corruption, regulatory failures, and abuses of human rights.
The nonprofit hands gives awards to journalists who do investigative journalism every year. In 2011, he started Premium Times, an online news site based in Nigeria that covers politics, health, investigations, and development journalism.
Wife
Ladi Olorunyomi, a journalist, advocate for women’s rights, and wife of Dapo, was held without charges for 68 days. Ladi Olorunyomi was freed after Olorunyomi talked about Abacha’s crackdown on the media at a roundtable held by the Committee to Protect Journalists in April. Olorunyomi was in exile in the U.S. at the time.
General Abdulsalami Abubakar let the four journalists out of jail, and Dapo Olorunyomi later went back to Nigeria. According to Vanguard, Olorunyomi was arrested in 2021 for writing articles that were false and hurtful about the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
Awards and Recognitions
| Year | Awards |
|---|---|
| 1995 | International Editor of the Year Award by the World Press Review |
| 1996 | PEN Center (West) Freedom to Write Award (1996) |
| 1996 | Press Freedom Award of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) New York, U.S.A |
| 1996 | Hellman Hemmett grant of the Human Rights Watch (1996) |
| 2017 | Diamond Award for Media Excellence’s Lifetime Achievement Award by Diamond Publications |
| 2021 | CPJ International Press Freedom Awards |
Dapo Olorunyomi talks about his job as chief of staff for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He talks about how the EFCC’s work with different parts of Nigerian society has changed over time.
He also talks about the role of community outreach and the media in the EFCC’s fight against corruption. Olorunyomi pays special attention to how religious groups and leaders can help fight corruption.
He also tries to get public figures and celebrities to support the work of the commission. He also talks about ways to work with people in local government.
Olorunyomi also talks about problems with training and keeping staff, the political tensions that arose when the commission went after politicians, and the need to look outside of Nigeria for ideas and lessons.
Controversies
Dapo Olorunyomi, a Nigerian journalist and media executive, has encountered various challenges in his career. Notably, he faced imprisonment during General Sani Abacha’s regime in 1995.
Olorunyomi and three other journalists were accused of being involved in a plot against the government, leading to a secret trial. They were charged with “accessories after the fact of treason” and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Olorunyomi became a fugitive, and his wife, Ladi Olorunyomi, also a journalist and women’s rights activist, was detained. In 2017, Olorunyomi, the co-founder and publisher of Premium Times, experienced a police raid on the newspaper’s offices.
This action, ordered by the military, resulted in the arrest of Olorunyomi and a reporter. However, they were later released after the army distanced itself from the chief of staff’s actions.
Over the years, Olorunyomi and Premium Times have faced official harassment. In 2019, Olorunyomi’s colleagues in other countries also encountered similar challenges.
Despite these controversies, Olorunyomi has remained a staunch advocate for press freedom and received recognition for his journalism work, including the 2020 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Olorunyomi’s life journey reflects the enduring spirit of truth, accountability, and journalistic integrity in the face of adversity.
In Conclusion
In June 1995, under General Sani Abacha’s military government, Kunle Ajibade of The News, Chris Anyanwu of The Sunday Magazine, George M’Bah of Tell Magazine, and Ben Charles-Obi of Classique Magazine were jailed for writing about what they thought was a plot to overthrow the Abacha government.
A Special Military Tribunal tried these journalists in secret, charged them with “treason after the fact,” found them guilty, and put them in jail for life.
Because he worked for The News magazine, Olorunyomi was on the Abacha government’s wanted list. He was forced to leave Nigeria and go live in the United States.
Source: whoiswriter.com
