Shereefdeen Ahmad reports
Three journalists of the News Digest Press, Abdulwasiu Olookoba, a 400-level law student, Abdulwaheed Sofiullah, a 400-level student of English Education and Abdulwasiu Mujeeb, a graduate of law at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto have won the Next-Gen Campus Reporter Awards.
Recall that the News Digest Press reported how the student-journalists were shortlisted for the award.
The award, named in honor of professor Alfred Opubor for his pioneering contributions to journalism, is aimed at celebrating and motivating outstanding student-journalists who have recorded tremendous impacts in social issues through storytelling.
According to a statement released by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, (CJID) on Friday, 25th November, this year’s edition of the Awards generated 164 entries from campus journalists in 53 tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The southwest region generated the most entries with 74, followed by the northwest with 38, northcentral with 21, south-south with eight, and southeast and northeast with six entries each.
Top-three finalists were nominated for each of the nine( 9) category: Best Budgetary Tracking/Procurement Story, Best Campus Investigative Reporter of the Year, Best Conflict Story; Best Election Observation Report, Best Environment/Climate Change Report, Best Fact-Check, Best Gender Story; Best Health Reporting and Sports Writer of the Year.
At the ceremony which was held on Friday, 2nd December, at the Treasure Suites Hotel, Central Business District, Abuja, The Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the News Digest Press, Abdulwasiu Olookoba emerged as the winner of Best Environmental/Climate Change Report category, with a cash prize of N100,000(one hundred thousand naira).
While Abdulwaheed Sofiullah, the News Editor of the press outlet bagged first-runner up for the category of Best Health Reporting with a cash prize of N60,000(sixty thousand naira).
Former Digest Editor and recent graduate of law from UDUS, Abdulwasiu Mujeed Idowu became the second-runner up with a cash prize 40,000( forty thousand naira)for Best Budgetary Tracking/Procurement Story category.
Speaking with Abdulwasiu Olookoba, he expressed his gratitude for the win and appreciated the platform Danfodiyo campus Journalism has offered him.
“This is really a big win for me,”he said.“I wouldn’t have won it without the glory of almighty Allah. I also commended the News Digest Press, NACJ and UDUS at large for the opportunity.“
Other UDUS students who won the award are: Abiodun Jamiu, a 400-level student of Political Science and President of National Association of Campus Journalists, UDUS emerged as the winner of Best Conflict Story category with cash prize of N100,000 (one hundred thousand naira), Abdulrasheed Hammad, a 400-level law student and the Editor-in-Chief of Pen Press won first-runner up for the category of Best Environment/Climate Change and Abdulrahaman Abdulganiyu, a 300-level student of Islamic Studies and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard press board second-runner up for the category of Best Gender Equality Reporter category.