Assistant Chief Cartoonist of New Telegraph Newspapers, Chukwuemeka Emenike, has been honoured as the Cartoonist of the Year at the 19th Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.

Emenike was declared winner in the Editorial Cartoon Category on Monday, December 9, 2024 at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

According to Emenike, who sent in two entries for the award category, his first entry on banks’ empty ATM machines and the activities of POS operators was declared winner.

While his second entry on lawmakers celebrating their N160 million SUVs (while urging Nigerians to tighten their belts) was commended.

Emenike, an award-winning cartoonist had previously received both commendations and runner up in the same category.

He is also a three-time winner of Best Cartoonist of the year, DAME; five times winner of the Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s Prize for Cartoonist of the year, NMMA; three times winner of the Red Ribbon Award for Best Cartoon on HIV/AIDS and other international awards.

Speaking after receiving the award, Emenike thanked God for giving him the special talent, because according to him all cartoonists are artists, but not all artists are cartoonists.

He also thanked the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the Kingdom of Netherlands and the US Consulate for their efforts towards deepening the cause of investigative reporting in Nigeria.

Emenike thanked the editors and colleagues at the New Telegraph for their support and constructive criticism.

According to the chair of the 2024 WSAIR Judges Panel and Editor-in-Chief of TVC News, Mrs Stella Din-Jacob, there were 291 entries submitted for this edition, but many of them did not meet the required standard of the award, some were reports misconstrued to be an investigation.