Meet the winners of CJID’s Alfred Opubor Prize for Campus Reporting 2025

One winner, two runners-up, and two finalists have emerged for the 2025 Alfred Opubor Prize for Campus Reporting.

The award, organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), reaffirms the organisation’s commitment to nurturing a new generation of journalists dedicated to public-interest reporting and accountability. 

The winners of the 2025 prizes were announced at the CJID Excellence Awards Dinner and Ceremony held on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

The Alfred Opubor Prize is one of Nigeria’s most prestigious journalism awards for students, established in honour of Professor Alfred Opubor, Nigeria’s first professor of Mass Communication, whose pioneering scholarship and advocacy laid the foundation for media education and professional journalism practice in Nigeria and across Africa.

Since its inception in 2018, the Alfred Opubor Awards, which form part of CJID’s Next Gen Campus Reporter programme, have served as a platform to identify, mentor, and celebrate exceptional student journalists from universities across Nigeria. 

Over the years, the prize has recognised excellence across categories such as Investigative Reporting, Gender, Environment, Health, and Accountability Journalism, amplifying the voices of young reporters using storytelling to deepen democratic accountability and promote human rights. 

The 2025 edition, however, departed from the traditional category-based structure and instead rewarded the best reports overall, regardless of theme. This year’s competition attracted 75 entries from student journalists nationwide, with all eligible stories published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. 

Following an initial screening and scoring process conducted by a pre-jury team, the strongest entries were forwarded to a distinguished panel of judges with expertise in investigative, development, and data journalism. 

Each submission was evaluated using strict criteria, including originality, depth, ethical clarity, accuracy, social impact, and narrative strength, from which five finalists emerged and three eventual winners were selected.

Shereefdeen Ahmad emerged as the overall winner of the 2025 Alfred Opubor Prize for his two-part investigative report, “In Sokoto, Rural Dwellers Left Behind as Health Facilities Rot,” published by The Liberalist. He received a plaque and a cash prize of ₦500,000. 

The investigation exposed the deteriorating state of healthcare in rural communities across Sokoto State, despite billions of naira allocated to the sector. Through extensive field reporting and data analysis, the story revealed collapsing health facilities, shortages of medical personnel and supplies, and systemic neglect of rural populations. 

The report, (part 2) also recorded measurable impact, as the Sokoto State Commissioner of Health introduced a new policy mandating all state-sponsored health professionals to serve exclusively in rural areas for two years, with no option of transfer, in an effort to improve healthcare delivery.

The first runner-up was Fawaz Adebisi for his investigative report titled “‘We Just Want Dignity’: Over 3,000 Lepers, Families Endure Neglect in Nigeria’s Leprosy Colonies,” published by Premium Times. Adebisi received a plaque and a cash prize of ₦300,000. 

The story examined the harsh realities of life in leprosy colonies across Abuja, Ogun, and Lagos states, where survivors and their families continue to live in poverty, exclusion, and stigma despite Nigeria’s progress in controlling the disease. 

Drawing from survivor testimonies, health data, and on-the-ground reporting, the investigation exposed broken health systems, unsafe housing, lack of clean water, and widespread denial of access to education and healthcare. 

Since its publication, the report has generated public debate and prompted authorities, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration, to pledge interventions in the Alheri leprosy colony.

Taiwo Fatola emerged as the second runner-up for the investigative story, “Wired for Wellness or Winging It? The Truth Behind AI-Powered Blood Pressure Monitors,” published by HealthTabs, earning a plaque and a cash prize of ₦200,000. 

The report examined the growing use of wearable devices in Nigeria that claim to monitor blood pressure using artificial intelligence and sensor technology. The investigation revealed that many of these devices lack global validation standards and operate within a regulatory grey zone, despite warnings from the World Health Organization. 

Through expert analysis and personal accounts, the story highlighted cases where devices displayed normal readings while clinical tests revealed severe hypertension, raising concerns about user safety and the risk of dangerous complacency. 

The report called for stronger regulatory oversight and improved public education to bridge the gap between innovation and safe healthcare practices.

In addition to the top three winners, two stories received special recognition for their depth, relevance, and contribution to public discourse. These included “Poverty, Hunger Driving Sokoto Children Out of School” by Muheeb Mashood.

And “Ivory Coast on Fire: How Malign Actors Coordinated an Online Coup That Never Happened” by Miracle Akubuo, both of which were commended for strong reporting and narrative clarity.

CJID expressed appreciation to the pre-jury team and the panel of judges for their dedication and rigorous evaluation process, and commended all participating student journalists for their continued commitment to using journalism as a tool for accountability, social change, and the amplification of underreported voices across Nigeria.