They wake up each day unsure of where their next meal will come from; their wrinkled hands tremble not just from age, but also from hunger and despair, the consequences of poor and unpaid pensions. In this special report, Christiana Alabi-Akande & Sodiq Mojibola, who monitored the protest in Lagos, shared the ugly experiences of the country’s aged generation. For many Nigerian pensioners, retirement is not the peaceful rest they envisioned after decades of service. Instead, it is a daily struggle for survival, with delayed payments, unexplained deductions, and broken promises draining whatever dignity old age should bring. DevReporting gathered…
Author: Christiana Alabi-Akande
Christiana Alabi-Akande, Sodiq Mojibola
Christiana Alabi-Akande is an award-winning development journalist with over a decade of experience at Daily Trust. She's a skilled storyteller, passionate about humanitarian service and driving impactful change. She's also a versatile media professional with proficiency in English, Hausa, and Yoruba. Alabi-Akande currently works as Managing Editor at DevReporting.
Born into a family of scientists, Daniella Okamgba chose law and made history. A bold stand for justice at her military boarding school lit a spark that set her apart early on. She clinched top honours as Babcock University’s best graduating law student in 2023 and went on to shine at the Nigerian Law School, earning five prestigious awards, standing out among over 5,700 new lawyers. In this interview with DevReporting, she spoke on how her story is proof that faith, focus, and fierce determination can take anyone anywhere. DR: What inspired you to study law, and how did your…
Amid the ongoing quota crisis at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the country’s regulatory body for university education, has clarified that the institution did not breach any regulatory provision to warrant the strong hammer recently wielded by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). A Deputy Director in charge of Academic Planning and Head of Resources and Strategic Planning at NUC, Nte Bisong, said his agency, as a creation of the country’s constitution, is responsible for the accreditation of programmes and allocation of quotas for Nigerian universities, and not the responsibility of professional bodies.…
Due to the institution’s continued disregard for admission quota, the fate of about 300 dental students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross River State, is currently hanging in the balance as the institution’s authorities have reportedly asked the hapless students to “go and learn a trade”. DevReporting shares the pathetic details in this report. When the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences at the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, Ngim Ngim, a professor, allegedly told the institution’s dental students to “go and learn a trade,” his words were said to have cut deeper than…
At just 19, Aishah Mabayoje is already making waves in the world of technology. Graduating as the overall best student at the 2024/2025 convocation ceremony of the European University of Lefke (EUL) in northern Cyprus, the computer engineer has built AI solutions to bridge communication barriers and excelled at global tech competitions. In a chat with DevReporting, the young engineer, eldest of five siblings, shares her journey of grit, vision and why she believes young African engineers must create solutions that truly impact lives. Excerpt. DR: On moments and influences that sparked her interest in technology and engineering: Aishah: My…
It’s been exactly one week since a devastating attack ravaged Yelwata community in Benue State, North-central Nigeria, leaving over 100 people dead, many injured, and thousands displaced. The attack, which targeted innocent civilians, was among the deadliest in recent months in Nigeria’s long-running conflict between farming communities and herders, which has intensified due to disputes over land, water access, migration routes, and livestock damage. Multiple sources said the attackers doused roadside stalls and makeshift shelters with petrol before setting them ablaze. It was one attack, too many. Victims of the attack includes Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from communities including Antsa,…
Nigeria’s children are facing multiple threats as they are being failed by the system. They are left unvaccinated, malnourished, and without access to education, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and vulnerability that threatens their very future. When President Bola Tinubu addressed them on Tuesday to mark this year’s Children’s Day, he spoke glowingly about his administration’s plans for the future leaders, saying this year’s theme, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation,” “could not have been more timely as it speaks directly to the culture we are building.” Mr Tinubu said his administration is building “a culture where every…
Despite a rescheduled examination aimed at addressing technical glitches, over 1.3 million candidates representing 70.7 per cent scored below 200 out of the obtainable 400 marks in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), a revised results analysis from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed. The Board on Sunday announced the release of results of the 2025 UTME resit, which was conducted for candidates affected by the technical disruption that marred the earlier sessions. The revised statistics came after an initial result analysis by the board had shown that more than 78 per cent of the nearly…
The numbers are out, and they are alarming. Of the nearly 2 million candidates who sat the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), more than 78 per cent scored below 200 out of the obtainable 400 marks. The results left many tongues wagging. For many students, the UTME is more than just an exam; it is a make-or-break moment that determines their chances of gaining higher education. Going by the results released by JAMB on 9 May, where only 21.5 per cent scored 200 and above, candidates are crying, parents are anxious, teachers are frustrated, and educationists are warning of…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTKXGYwiErE DevReporting has exclusively obtained details of how a total of 419 delegates at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) voted to fill the union’s seven portfolios of its national leadership. The newspaper earlier reported the emergence of the immediate past Vice President, Chris Piwuna, A Professor of Medicine at the University of Jos, and Consultant Psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, in Plateau State, as the new President. Mr Piwuna took over from Emmanuel Osodeke, A Professor of Soil Science at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, who…