Undergraduates from Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan and Usmanu Danfodiyo University excelled at the 2025/2026 National Wire Campus Business Journalism Awards, whose primary purpose is to groom the next generation of business and financial journalists in Nigeria.
A 200-level Law student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Rasheedat Abidiesin, emerged overall winner with her entry titled, Inside World of Small Business, while a 300-level Law student of the University of Ibadan, Abdulrasheed Olokoto Jimoh, emerged first runner-up for his report on The Business of Survival.
An Estate Management student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Matthew Ogunwale, clinched the second runner-up position with his story, Defining Student Housing.
Announcing the winners, judge and broadcaster, Ugonma Cokey, commended the participants and noted that the outcome of the competition showed journalism excellence was not restricted to Mass Communication students.
She said: ‘The interesting thing about these entries is that Rashidat is a 200-level law student, and that’s amazing for a law student to do journalism and win.
‘Also, the second runner-up is an Estate Management student. So it means that you can also write and be the best in whatever profession you are in’.
She urged contestants who did not emerge as winners not to give up, stressing that participation itself was a bold achievement.
In the Best Campus Journal category, the Association of Campus Journalists of the Obafemi Awolowo University emerged as the winner.
Announcing the award, journalist and judge Ibrahim Ishaya described the selection process as highly competitive.
‘It was a very tough choice to make. You did well. Don’t feel discouraged. One of the things you have to learn is that when you don’t win, the opportunity will come even better’, he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the awards, Dayo Emmanuel, said that the initiative was conceived to encourage more students to embrace business and development reporting.
According to Emmanuel, who is also the News Editor of National Wire, the award grew from concerns about who would nurture the next generation of financial journalists in Nigeria.
He said: ‘At the beginning, some people doubted the idea. They asked: “Can campus journalists really produce business stories”? But we insisted that business exists everywhere human beings exist.
‘Students pay transport fares, buy food, use electricity, pay school fees, purchase books and data, all these are economic activities. Campuses are miniature economies on their own’.
He explained that National Wire itself was founded nearly a decade ago by former journalists at Newswatch Times who sought to establish a platform focused on credible journalism and financial reporting.
The keynote speaker, Fisayo Soyombo, charged aspiring journalists to uphold courage, accuracy and accountability in their work.
Soyombo, who is the Founder of Foundation for Investigative Journalism, said: ‘Journalism can hold power to account, give voice to the voiceless, and change policy when it is done with courage, accuracy, and a relentless commitment to the truth’.
He described business journalism as demanding, noting that practitioners must understand policies, markets, figures and human realities.
‘Business journalism is hard. It demands that you understand numbers, policy, market, and people, and then translate all of this into stories that are clear, accurate, and relevant to your audience’, and urged the students to prioritise accuracy above speed in an era dominated by social media.
‘In the age of social media, speed is tempting, but in business reporting, one wrong figure or misinterpreted policy can damage reputations and mislead readers’, he warned.
The Executive Director of Media Career Development Network, Lekan Otufodunrin, praised the organisers for creating opportunities to nurture future media leaders.
‘We are glad that we have a good generation of people who can really upscale what some of us have been doing’, he said.
On behalf of the recipients, Ogunwale thanked the organisers and described all participants as winners.
