The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has lauded PRNigeria for sustaining its Young Communication Fellowship (PYCF) for three consecutive years despite the expiration of the grant that helped launch the academy.
Executive Director of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, gave the commendation while delivering the keynote address at the closing ceremony for the Ilorin cohort of the 2026 PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship.
Alaka recalled that the Centre supported the initiative at its inception through the Collaborative Media Project (CMEDIA), with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, expressing delight that the learning lab continues to flourish.
“We were there when it started with our support from the Collaborative Media Project, and we are happy to see that despite the end of the funding cycle in 2024, PRNigeria has sustained the programme at its three centres in Abuja, Kano and Kwara States,” she said.
The director noted that the fellowship had not only survived beyond the initial grant but had expanded into a fully residential programme, with accommodation facilities supporting participants across its three locations.
Alaka urged the young communicators to make integrity and professionalism the foundation of their careers, identifying integrity, loyalty, excellence, courage and curiosity as essential attributes for success in the communication industry.
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She further encouraged the fellows to combine professional competence with leadership and business knowledge, emphasising that continuous learning and curiosity are crucial in a rapidly changing media environment.
Representing the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kwara State Chapter, DSP Sani Suleiman of the Nigeria Customs Service, hailed PRNigeria for creating a platform through which young professionals could acquire practical communication skills.
Suleiman urged the fellows to build on the knowledge and experience gained and uphold values in their respective careers. He praised Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib, Managing Director and CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR)—publisher of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential—for preserving the initiative.
“He has established himself as a true giant in the industry, paving the path for others to follow seamlessly,” Suleiman said, describing the fellowship as an important component of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility, which invests in the next generation of media and communication professionals.
Speaking at the ceremony, PRNigeria Fellowship Coordinator and Head of Innovation and Special Projects at IMPR, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, said the programme’s sustainability had also benefited from partnerships and institutional support.
Lawal cited the contribution of the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation, which provided a facility to PRNigeria in Abuja, enabling the fellowship to accommodate participants throughout the two-week intensive training.
“The Ilorin cohort is the second batch in 2026, having completed the first cohort of 10 fellows in Abuja in August, using the facility donated by the founder of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Prof. Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo. The third cohort will be at the Kano Centre. Fellows are now hosted residentially,” he added.
Lawal said the 2026 fellows were competitively selected from nearly 700 applications and confirmed the fellowship to be held in Kano in October would be the final cohort of the year. He advised the participants to maximise the opportunities and professional networks developed while together.
Adegbite Anuoluwapo Rafat emerged as the Best Fellow of the 2026 Ilorin Cohort. Fashola Abayomi Olawalarami was recognised as Team Lead, while other fellows received commendations for their performance and contributions during the programme.
For two weeks, the participants underwent training combining classroom sessions, practical exercises, field excursions, institutional engagements, individual and group assignments, and project-based activities designed to prepare them for careers in media and strategic communication.
The curriculum covered journalism, public relations and strategic communication, newsroom and editorial practices, feature writing, solutions journalism, data journalism, fact-checking, investigative journalism and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), among other areas.
As part of the experiential component, the fellows visited prominent newsrooms and media organisations in Kwara State and undertook institutional tours designed to expose them to professional practices beyond the classroom.
The Ilorin cohort also paid a special visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, as part of engagements connecting the fellows with traditional institutions and community leadership.