Sonaike Peter, Features Editor of IndyPress, and Toluwalope Ayeye, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, and the Vice-President (Editorial) Elect of UCJUI has both emerged as the first and second runners-up of the National Wire Campus Business Journalism Awards on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Indy Press Organization also clinched the title of Best Campus Journal of the Year 2024, establishing itself as the top campus magazine.
The National Wire Campus Business Journalism Award is an initiative by the media outlet, National Wire, to recognize outstanding financial reporting by campus journalists across Nigeria.
Olamide Ayoade, a Mass Communication student from Olabisi Onabanjo University, was announced as the winner of the national award and he is to receive a cash prize of N50,000. Peter & Toluwalope are to get N30,000 and N20,000 as respectively.
In an official statement, Dayo Emmanuel, Chairman of the awards and News Editor of National Wire, 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.
Continuing, he 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.”
Reacting, the Deputy Editor-in-chief of IndyPress, Tolulope Ayeye, expressed joy over receiving the award, describing it as a validation of her efforts in campus journalism.
(Tolulope Ayeye, IndyPress Deputy Editor-in-chief)
“I am overjoyed to have received this prize. I believe it demonstrates the effort I have put into writing as a campus journalist. I’m also thrilled that IndyPress was named Best Campus Journal,” Ayeye said.
(Peter Sonaike, IndyPress Feature Editor)
In an interview with IndyPress, Sonaike Peter, first runner-up of the national award, said, “First, I give glory to God for making this award possible. I also appreciate my organization, IndyPress, for providing me with a platform to hone my journalistic skills. Special thanks to every member of the organization, especially the Editor-in-Chief, for contributing to this achievement. I believe this award will further strengthen my commitment to campus journalism
