The General Editor of National Wire, Mr. Friday Ekeoba has urged campus journalists to hone their skills in business reporting, explaining that ‘the art of business reporting is as serious as business itself’.
At the award presentation for the maiden edition of the Campus Business Journalism Awards on Friday, Ekeoba highlighted the importance of specialisation in journalism, particularly in business reporting, which would enable the practitioner to stand out in the competitive media landscape.
Drawing from his extensive experience reporting finance for national news publications, including Nigerian Tribune and Newswatch, Ekeoba explained that the potential within business reporting, even in political stories. ‘When you report that an official has misappropriated some amount of money, research into what facilities that amount can provide, and you are delving into business reporting’, he illustrated, encouraging participants to develop a niche in business journalism to prepare for real-world media practice after their studies.
The awards ceremony, organised by National Wire, celebrated the achievements of campus journalists excelling in business reporting.
In the Best Business Feature category, a Mass Communication student from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Olamide Ayoade, emerged the winner. His entry, “How OOU Student Entrepreneurs Leverage Tech for Career Advancement”, had earlier been published on Campus Mirror at the Ago Iwoye, Ogun State-based university.
A Features Editor and student of Education and Political Science at the University of Ibadan, Sonaike Peter Omotola secured the second place, while the Editor of Indy Press Organisation, also at the University of Ibadan, Tolulope Ayeye finished third. She is a Law student.
Indy Press Organization also clinched the title of Best Campus Journal of the Year 2024, establishing itself as the top campus magazine.
Chairman of the Awards and News Editor at National Wire, Mr. Dayo Emmanuel explained the vision behind the initiative: ‘Our website is strong on financial reporting, and we intend to raise fresh reporters into that beat from the campuses’, he said.
He further said: ‘We decided to encourage campus journalists already trying their hands on business reporting, so we put up the call for entries to identify them. Initially, we were not expecting fantastic reports while people were worried for us that we may not get any entry because campus journalists don’t write business stories, but we were bent on starting from somewhere’.
Emmanuel acknowledged the support of Manifold Media and Mr. Tayo Olanipekun, the main sponsors, and expressed optimism that the experience would inspire campus journalists to explore financial reporting further.
Director of Strategy at Manifold Media, Mr. Victor Emeruwa commended the initiative for strategically targeting the next generation of reporters. ‘Many young people want to look into politics because that is what can easily trend, but fantastic opportunities exist in the business desk’, he noted, encouraging the winners to pursue careers in financial journalism.
A seasoned media trainer and career specialist, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin praised the focus on business reporting among campus journalists. ‘This is commendable because it is focusing on the next generation of journalists’, he stated, emphasising the importance of niche specialization.
Similarly, the Publisher of Breezy News, Mr. Muyiwa Akintunde highlighted the initiative’s potential to nurture future journalists, while the Director of Training at Voice of Nigeria, Mrs. Ugonma Cokey noted its role in equipping campus journalists for the industry. ‘This is unique because it shows campus journalists the need for business reporting, positioning them a step ahead when they join the industry’, she observed.
Programme Manager of the International Press Centre, Mr. Sanmi Falobi urged the organisers to sustain the initiative, emphasising the importance of resilience. ‘You must not relent and must not despise the days of small beginnings. Many of us look back at projects that started as dreams and are now big’, he encouraged.
Representing the panel of judges, Editor at The Niche newspaper, Mr. Ishaya Ibrahim praised the contestants’ commitment and urged campus journalists to explore business reporting from a student’s perspective ‘Business reporting is a unique field with its specialities, and campus journalists should look in that direction to tell the outside world what happens in that field’, he advised.
The event marked a significant milestone in nurturing future business reporters from Nigerian campuses, laying the foundation for the next generation of financial journalists.
Run daily by three journalists from different cohorts of the Bloomberg Media Initiative for Africa, National Wire began publishing via nationalwire.com.ng in 2016. The website has remained strong on financial articles and has generated responses from Nigeria and beyond.
