Dapo Olorunyomi, editor in chief of Premium Times, has been named the Lifetime Achievement award recipient for 2017. He will be decorated on Wednesday at the 26th DAME presentation in Lagos.
Mr. Olorunyomi, 60, who started his media career three decades ago, has worked with such organisations as the Herald, African Concord and African Guardian. He was part of the team that established the crusading journals of the 90s: The News, Tempo and AM News. He would later go on exile when he became a thorn in the flesh of the military dictators of that era and his life was endangered.
Mr. Olorunyomi also served as policy director and chief of staff to Nuhu Ribadu as chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission before taking up residence at NEXT newspaper as enterprise editor and head of investigations. He later established the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and Premium Times, which have redefined the face of news publishing in Nigeria.
In a statement by Mr. Lanre Idowu, supervising trustee of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, Mr. Olorunyomi was described as a “leading light in the search for meaning and morality in the media,” and a “study in industry in the determination to widen the scope of citizen engagement in public discourse.”
Olorunyomi joins 22 previous inductees into the DAME Hall of FAME of Lifetime Achievers who have brought honour and meaning to the public communication industry. They include seven deceased men and fifteen living legends.
The deceased are: Alhaji Babatunde Jose, Anthony Enahoro, Mr. Alex Ibru, Mallam Turi Muhammadu, Hadj. Alade Odunewu, Chief Segun Olusola, and Professor Alfred Opubor.
The living giants are: Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Dr. Christopher Kolade, Chief Segun Osoba, Prince Tony Momoh, Mr. Ted Mukoro, Prince Henry Odukomaiya, Mallam Mohammed Ibrahim, Mrs. Omobola Onajide, Mr. Felix Adenaike, Dr. Doyin Abiola, Senator Akin Odunsi, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, Professor Idowu Sobowale Mr. Dan Agbese and Mr. Kevin Ejiofor.
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