The Lagos Voice’s campus editor named 2nd runner-up at Wire awards

By Samuel Faseyitan

The Lagos Voice Campus Editor, Matthew Ogunwale, has emerged as the second runner-up in the Best Campus Business Story category at the second edition of the National Wire Campus Business Journalism Awards.

Mr Ogunwale, who occupy the position of Campus Editor at The Lagos Voice, also serves as the General Secretary of ACJOAU.

The award ceremony, which was held virtually on May 15, was organised by National Wire, a media platform established to promote credible journalism, with a special focus on financial and business reporting. The platform was founded after the winding down of Newswatch Times, with the name ‘National Wire’ chosen to reflect connectivity, information flow, and national relevance.

In the Best Campus Business Story category, The Lagos Voice’s campus Editor, Matthew Ogunwale, emerged as the second runner-up, while a 300-level Law student of the University of Ibadan, Abdulrasheed Olokoto, came second. A 200-level Law student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Rasheedat Abidiesin, emerged the winner.

The news editor of National Wire and chairman of the National Wire Campus Business Journalism Awards, Dayo Emmanuel, said in his speech that the award was created in 2024 to prepare the next generation of business journalists and encourage students to see business reporting beyond politics and entertainment. He added that campuses are ‘miniature economies’ where students engage daily in activities linked to transport, food, electricity, school fees, books, and data.

The keynote speaker and founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Fisayo Soyombo, advised campus journalists to remain committed to their work, noting that the reactions and hatred that sometimes come with journalism often arise because journalists are telling the truth.

He also urged them to uphold integrity, adding that business journalism is as important as investigative journalism because it deals with figures and helps hold organisations accountable.

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Also, the editor-in-chief of the African Angle newspaper and chairman of the judging panel, Seun Akioye, commended the campus journalists for their resilience in combining academics with journalism and encouraged them to continue on the path of impactful reporting. The winners were announced by Deputy Director, Training, Voice of Nigeria, Ugonma Cokey, who was also part of the judging panel.

The event was also attended by the founder of Media for Career Development, Mr Lekan Otunfodunrin.