DevReporting has selected seven journalists trained under its Local Governance Reporting Project in Osun State to advance to the reporting phase following an editorial review of their story pitches. The journalists’ selection marked the next stage of a competitive process that began with 62 applications from journalists across Osun State. While 23 journalists were selected to participate in an initial training designed to strengthen their skills in investigating governance and accountability issues, six pitches were selected to proceed to the reporting phase. The virtual training focused on practical approaches to investigating local governance issues, tracking public resources, using public records,…
Author: Development Reporting
For decades, peacebuilding efforts in Nigeria and across developing nations have operated in a state of continuous reaction. When conflict threatens or breaks out, early warning systems are activated to monitor tension, local elders are assembled for mediation, peace agreements are signed, and emergency security measures are deployed. While these measures are useful for containing active violence, they share a major flaw, as they try to manage conflict after it has already taken root, rather than removing the root conditions that allowed it to grow in the first place. If Nigeria is to break the cycle of recurring instability, policymakers…
Nigeria wants more oil. The ambition is clear. The Federal Government has set a target of raising crude oil production to 3 million barrels per day by 2030. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has framed its production agenda around recovering shut-in volumes, arresting decline, reducing losses, optimising existing assets and accelerating time-to-first-oil. And, to be fair, something is working. NUPRC reported that Nigeria’s crude production averaged about 1.56 million barrels per day in June 2026, while crude and condensate combined averaged about 1.735 million barrels per day. June marked the fourth consecutive month of production growth, with crude…
Nigerian radiation oncologist, Adedayo Joseph is transforming cancer care for children and families through research, innovation and compassionate support. Leading Nigeria’s HYPOAfrica trial, she is helping build African evidence for shorter, more accessible radiotherapy while her pioneering paediatric oncology and patient-navigation work gives more families a chance to complete treatment. By: Titilope Fadare [ABUJA, SciDev.Net] Nigerian oncologist Adedayo Joseph has seen families sell property, borrow money and shut down businesses to pay for a child’s cancer surgery, only for the patient never to return for the radiotherapy needed to finish treatment. “They are so broken that when we call them and…
While violence has left deep psychological scars across Benue communities, an innovative community-led counselling model is helping survivors heal. By training trusted local volunteers as lay counsellors, the initiative is restoring hope, rebuilding resilience and offering a blueprint for expanding mental health support in conflict-affected communities. By Phillip Anjorin A choir of four women and two young men practised a melodic harmony inside the open structure of a wall-less church. It was evening in Adaka, a community in Benue State’s Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA), where the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. The choir continued even as the…
Burundi has quietly become one of the world’s breastfeeding success stories, with more than 83 per cent of infants exclusively breastfed in their first six months of life. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) push a new global investment case for breastfeeding, the East African nation is demonstrating that the biggest gains come not from awareness campaigns alone, but from stronger health systems, workplace support, and sustained public investment. The payoff extends well beyond nutrition as every US$1 invested in breastfeeding support is estimated to return nearly US$60 to the economy. Bonface Orucho,…
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, with 1,200,514 (61.54 per cent) of the 1,950,726 candidates who sat the examination obtaining at least five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, the benchmark required for admission into tertiary institutions. The figure represents a 1.42 percentage-point decline from the performance recorded in the 2025 examination, according to the Council. The results also show that 86.50 per cent of candidates obtained credits in at least five subjects with or without English Language and Mathematics. Addressing newsmen today, Wednesday,…
Nearly a month after schoolchildren and teachers were rescued from kidnappers in Oyo State’s Oriire communities, classrooms have reopened and routines have returned. But beneath the appearance of normalcy, fear, grief and trauma continue to shape everyday life. By Oluwapemi Bamidele On the road into Ahoro Dada community, what strikes a visitor is not what is there, but what is missing. Long before the village comes into view, traffic thins. The chatter that usually animates rural roads in southwestern Nigeria, children racing home from school, traders balancing wares on motorcycles, farmers returning from their fields before dusk dissolves into an…
A return to traditional African foods could do more than satisfy the palate. New research suggests just two weeks of fibre-rich vegetables, whole grains and fermented foods may calm inflammation and strengthen immunity while Western diets may quickly push the body in the opposite direction. By: Dann Okoth [NAIROBI] A traditional African diet rich in vegetables, fibre, and fermented foods can reverse inflammation and protect against chronic diseases in just two weeks, while Western diets exacerbate these conditions, researchers say. The research, conducted by scientists from Radboud University Medical Centre, in the Netherlands, and KCMC University, in Tanzania, found that…
In national security and counter-terrorism, strategic success is rarely measured by rhetoric alone, it is validated by tangible operational outcomes, restored peace, and the lived experiences of citizens at the grassroots. Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Nigeria’s security apparatus, anchored by the Office of the National Security Adviser and coordinated across military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies has undergone a decisive, doctrine-driven transformation. Nowhere is this paradigm shift more evident than in the uncompromising, intelligence-led campaign against kidnapping and banditry across the geopolitical zones. A profound testament to this evolving security efforts unfolded at the Presidential…