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 at the closing ceremony for the Ilorin cohort of the 2026 PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship.
Alaka recalled that WSCIJ supported the initiative at its inception through the Collaborative Media Project (CMEDIA), with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. She expressed delight that the learning lab continues to flourish, noting that PRNigeria has sustained the programme at its three centres in Abuja, Kano and Kwara States.
The fellowship has not only survived beyond the initial grant but has 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 essential attributes for success in the communication industry.
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 for young professionals to acquire practical communication skills. Suleiman praised Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib, Managing Director and CEO of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), for preserving the initiative.
PRNigeria Fellowship Coordinator and Head of Innovation and Special Projects at IMPR, Mohammed Dahiru Lawal, said the programme's sustainability 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 2026 fellows were competitively selected from nearly 700 applications. Adegbite Anuoluwapo Rafat emerged as the Best Fellow of the 2026 Ilorin Cohort, while Fashola Abayomi Olawalarami was recognised as Team Lead. The participants underwent training combining classroom sessions, practical exercises, field excursions, and project-based activities designed to prepare them for careers in media and strategic communication.
The curriculum covered various areas, including 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). 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.
Key points
- WSCIJ commends PRNigeria for sustaining Young Communication Fellowship beyond grant funding
- The fellowship has expanded into a fully residential programme with accommodation facilities
- The 2026 fellows were competitively selected from nearly 700 applications
