A disturbing video from a public primary school in Ibiaku Itam in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State recently surfaced on social media. The footage showed a classroom in ruin. The walls appeared worn out and tired with age. The windows hung loosely on rusted hinges. The roof sagged dangerously toward collapse and the floor was cracked and uneven. Inside that room, children were trying to learn. Only four functional dual desks could be seen in the classroom. Four pupils squeezed themselves onto desks designed for two. Several children sat directly on the bare floor, hunched over their…
Author: Development Reporting
I would want to contextualise this tribute to Comrade Biodun Jeifo, also known as B.J., in what I want to characterise as the “Great Ife Mystique” and the proliferation of similar and contemporaneous radical academic “mystiques” across the Nigerian University System, especially after the Nigerian Civil War, i.e. post-1970. In view of the foregoing, I consider that the radical academic movement in the Nigerian university system took a definitive trajectory and form immediately after the Nigerian Civil War. The Great Ifẹ Mystique, historicised more broadly elsewhere, took root especially around 1970, 1971, 1972, and with the University of Ifẹ academics…
By Mohammed Taoheed The Australian High Commission in Abuja has partnered the Nigerian Indigenous Women in Mining and Natural Resource Organisation (NIWIMNRO) to strengthen safety, capacity and gender inclusion in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector. The funding, awarded under Australia’s Direct Aid Program (DAP), is designed to address the socio-economic, health, safety and structural challenges faced by women in artisanal mining through practical, community-driven interventions. According to the statement by the High Commission, the initiative aligns with Australia’s broader partnership with Nigeria aimed at strengthening technical capacity, improving safety standards and promoting gender inclusion across the mining sector. It referenced a…
There is a moment in every generation when a country gets the chance to make a decision that reshapes the trajectory of millions of lives. Nigeria is at that moment now, and the decision is simpler than most people think. Zero-rate educational websites. Make learning data-free. Let’s do it now. When Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) paid me a courtesy visit recently at the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) Ikoyi office, I used the occasion to issue a clear charge: telecom operators must prioritise the zero-rating of credible educational platforms as a near-term, high-impact intervention. The response was encouraging.…
By Ibrahim Awotunde The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has accused the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Christopher Piwuna, a professor, of giving a “deliberately incomplete” account of the late Professor Biodun Jeyifo’s intervention in the 2017 crisis that led to the formation of the breakaway union. CONUA stated that the distinguished literary scholar personally demanded the withdrawal of expulsion letters as a condition for reconciliation. A rebuttal issued on Monday, 2 March, and signed by CONUA’s national president, Niyi Sunmonu, provided what it described as authentic records of multiple meetings with the late Mr Jeyifo…
The Akin Fadeyi Foundation (AFF) has called for urgent behavioural change among Nigerians as a critical step towards reducing the rising spate of road accidents across the country. Speaking at the unveiling of a one-minute advocacy drama focused on road safety, the Executive Director of AFF, Akin Fadeyi maintained that taming accidents on Nigerian roads must begin with citizens taking responsibility for their conduct behind the wheel. “Even the most sophisticated road systems cannot compensate for human indiscipline or moral abdication,” he said, stressing that over-speeding, improper overtaking, driving under impairment, illegal parking and overloading are not acts of fate…
Comrade Biodun Jeyifo (BJ), who will be interred on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State, was a man of many distinguished parts: First class student, Professor Emeritus of English at Cornell University and Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Harvard University, journalist, author, literary critic, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), labour activist, revolutionary, and Chair of the Board of Trustees/Advisers of the groundbreaking Socialist Library of Nigeria (SOLAR) in Calabar, Cross River State. Almost two months ago to this day, on January 5, 2026, Comrades, scholars, activists, friends, students, and admirers, gathered at the…
By Ibrahim Awotunde The University of Medical Sciences, Ondo graduated 771 students at its 7th Convocation Ceremony on Thursday, with a stark warning that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming medical practice and Nigeria’s health workforce must adapt or risk being left behind. Delivering the convocation lecture titled “Adapting to the AI-Driven Future of Medicine: Educating, Equipping, and Leading Nigeria’s Health Workforce for Emerging Clinical Realities,” former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a professor, said generative AI has moved from research laboratories into clinics and everyday clinical workflows. He told the gathering that the shift would affect…
DevReporting, in partnership with the Pro-Poor Development Media (PDM) Network, has selected eight journalists for a story project that examines critical urban challenges affecting communities in Lagos State, with support from the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC). The selection followed a competitive review of pitches submitted by journalists across print, broadcast, and digital media platforms. The selected journalists are Melony Ishola, Head of Programmes, PUNCH Videos; Eric Dumo, freelance editor; Juliana Francis, Publisher, SecurityNewsAlert; Samson Ademola, Programme Manager/Associate Editor, DevReporting; Israel Eferobor, Correspondent, News Central TV; Folashade Ogunrinde, Investigative Reporter, Premium Times; Gbenga Salau, Assistant News Editor, Weekend, The Guardian;…
Proof of enrolment in the state’s social health insurance scheme, popularly known as ILER EKO, is now required to access certain government services, as the Lagos State Government intensifies enforcement of its Executive Order. The move, according to state officials is part of a decisive push towards universal health coverage for all residents of the state. This charge formed the central message at a strategic one-day retreat with LGA/LCDA chairmen under the aegis of Conference 57, on the implementation of the Executive Order. At the retreat, top government officials rallied the third tier of government to deepen enrolment into the health insurance scheme.…