Thirteen-year-old Ebunoluwa Oluwatimilehin, an SS2 student of Igando Community Senior High School, Lagos, on Tuesday, emerged the overall winner of the 15th edition of the UBA Foundation National Essay Competition. Oluwatimilehin made history as the first male winner after the competition had produced female winners for eight years in a row. His victory earned him a grand prize of a N10 million educational grant to support his future studies at any university of his choice in Africa, alongside other prizes. The first runner-up, Njoku-Kelechi, an SS2 student of Emerald of Christian International High School, Owerri, received a N7.5 million educational…
Author: Development Reporting
By Olabisi Sulaiman & Mariam Alabi The Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) has announced seven finalists for its 2025 Journalist of the Year Award ahead of its annual African Conference on Development Journalism (ACDJ) scheduled for 3 – 4 December, in Kaduna, Nigeria. The organisation says both the conference and the award aim to strengthen media practice and deepen development-focused reporting across the continent. A press statement issued by AMDF and signed by its Executive Director, Sekyen Dadik, stated that the finalists were drawn from more than 25 submissions received across radio, television, print and online categories. AMDF noted that…
By Aminat Miskilu The Anambra State Police Command says it will arraign a 20-year-old man, Chigbo Umeugokwe, on Wednesday, 19 November, for allegedly attacking a shopkeeper, abducting a 13-year-old girl and defiling her in Achina community, Aguata Local Government Area. The Command’s spokesperson, Ikenga Tochukwu, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the suspect was arrested on 11 November by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (Gender Unit), Awka, with support from the local community security outfit. Attack and abduction According to the police, the incident took place on 29 October when the suspect allegedly…
The 2025 governorship election in Anambra State offered a paradox that cuts to the heart of Nigeria’s democratic trajectory: a decisive victory amid deep civic disengagement. Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was re-elected with 422,664 votes, winning all 21 local government areas and defeating his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured around 99,445 votes, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). But behind this clear political mandate lies a sobering reality as only about one in five registered voters participated in the 8 November polls. Of the…
“…wa lal-aakhiratu khayrun laka min al-oolaa,” Surah Ad-Duha (93:4) – meaning “…the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life],” In the sun-drenched heart of Kano, where the ancient whispers of the Sahel blend with the digital hum of modernity, this Quranic promise of betterment found a vivid earthly echo during the 2025 edition of the Kano Social Influencers Summit (KANSIS). Organised by the visionary Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), the two-day ceaseless flow of ideas commenced on Wednesday 22 October. Venue was the resplendent Khalifa Isyaku Rabiu University, crafted into acronym KHAIRUN. In Arabic, this means…
The Publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, and his friend and former colleague at the Independent Communications Network Limited (ICNL), publishers of The News and Tempo Magazines, Idowu Obasa, are set to return to their alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, for the Faculty of Arts distinguished alumni lecture. Mr Olorunyomi, a 1981 graduate of the university’s Department of English Studies, Faculty of Arts, and holder of a Master’s in English Literature from the institution, will, on Tuesday, 18 November, speak on the theme: “AI, Social Media, and the Reconfiguration of Democratic Power in Nigeria”. It is…
By Mohammed Taoheed Nigeria has opened high-level talks with UK officials on the possibility of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, serving the remainder of his prison term in Nigeria. A delegation from Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu had on Monday met with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to discuss his organ-trafficking conviction, for which he has been jailed in the UK since May 2023. The delegation, comprises the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. Mr Tuggar’s spokesperson, Alkasim Abdulkadir on Tuesday told TheCable that the presidential delegation was in…
By Ajibola Amzat I had been trying for months to interview Dapo Olorunyomi, the publisher of Premium Times, popularly referred to as Dapsy, and he had been “running away” from me, as he later admitted when he finally agreed to a one-on-one interview at his office on Mabolo street, Abuja. It is easy to look past that shortcoming. Dapsy himself is a gracious man: always noble and generous in overlooking the mistakes of others. I got that impression from many people who had encountered him. A complex and contradictory personality In a book of tributes titled Testimony to Courage, published…
The Alumni Association of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has hailed the appointment of a professor of soil ecosystem, Joshua Ogunwole, as the institution’s 5th substantive vice chancellor. A statement issued at the weekend by the association and signed by its President, Temitope Arogundade, describes the appointment as “a defining moment that promises renewed academic vibrancy, strengthened administration, and deeper global engagement for the institution.” According to Mr Arogundade, Mr Ogunwole’s appointment has been widely commended by critical stakeholders in the university’s project, saying his choice is “a testament to his scholarly pedigree, transformational leadership style, and purposeful vision for…
The African Union Commission (AUC) has reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of sovereignty, non-interference, religious freedom, and the rule of law, as enshrined in the African Union Constitutive Act and related instruments. The commission said this in a statement on its official social media handles on Friday, expressing concern over recent statements by the United States President Donald Trump, alleging that Nigeria’s government is complicit in the targeted killing of Christians and threatening military action. The AUC named Nigeria as its longstanding and valued member state, playing a key role in regional stability, counter-terrorism, peacekeeping initiatives, and continental integration.…