Recently, Kunle Arthur Falayi, who is popularly known for his Controversial reports has won Best Reporter Of the Year at Quill Awards.
According to report, the award showcases media excellence and rewards journalists whose work are submitted and judged by a panel.
And Kunle Falayi of Punch Newspaper won Best Education Report, Co-winner Best Report on Children and Overall Best Reporter of the year.
This is Arthur's first Award since he started journalism after migrating from being a Radio Presenter (Unique FM Ilesa) to Punch Newspaper and his story every Saturday have always been an interesting and true journalism practice.
Apart from emerging as the overall winner of the 2014 edition of the award, Falayi was declared winner in two other categories.
Falayi was named the Education Reporter of the Year with his entry, “Lagos schools where pupils sit on bare floors,” beating Franca Osakwe of National Mirror to second place.
A two-part series entitled, “Scarred for life: Story of children raped by own fathers,” also earned Falayi the first prize in the “Best Report on Children” category which he jointly won with Isioma Madike of The Telegraph(formerly with The Nation).
Madike’s winning entry was titled, “Child rape on the rise.”
The panel of judges, chaired by Dr. Patrick Cole, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Brazil, said the 2014 edition of the award was “keenly contested.”
Showering encomiums on Falayi, Cole lauded his winning entry in the education category noting that his tenacity and follow-up on the story despite the Lagos State Government’s “vigorous denial” of the pupils’ plight was commendable.
"Radio presentation is mostly about entertainment and information while Print journalism is about sweating and making a change in the society, You suffer to get the job done but result comes" He said.
Being a Journalist is like being a detective and according to Kunle, there are many challenges.
" Well, those have been many challenges. Threats of arrest, harassment by a commissioner of Police, doors shut in my face numerous times, problem of meeting deadline and nearly drowning while covering flood disaster in Ibadan, others, they are all being worth it" he concluded
Hmmm....you are imaging it? Journalists face lots of challenges in discharging their duties.
"That's what we deal with on daily basis! Being beaten up at assignments is not a new thing. I have not got that before"
On social life, Kunle said, "It has Nearly obliterated my social life o. I Only squeeze out time to go out with friends, with occasional visit to the cinema to cool off".
On the issue of marital, Kunle disclosed that, "Really funny question. who knows? If I marry a woman who has the same work schedule as I do? That's likely to be a really stressful marriage. But well, Nothing is impossible. And to marry someone from another media, that's certainly possibility".
And in conclusive, our best Reporter of the year, Kunle Falayi of Saturday Punch believes in five years, I'll be saddled with a higher responsibility in my journalistic career. Will be doing what I love to do; write, but on a higher pedestal, God willing.