Lagos Voice 2025 Round-Up: Our Top Stories of the Year

By Adedoyin Oguntade

1. Despite Management Regulations, Illegal Connections, Contraband Usages Sparkle Fire Outbreak in UDUS Hostels, Pushes Victims to Loss
In Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), several tragic fire outbreaks have left deep scars on students and staff, claiming valuable items while displacing many victims.

This report unravelled how students’ disregard for the school regulations, illegal electrical connections, including the use of contraband items, hotplates and gas cookers, fueled these devastating incidents.

2. ‘We were rusticated for raising Placards’ – UI Students speaks out as Amnesty International demands Reversal
Two students of the University of Ibadan (UI), Aduwo Ayodele, a 400-level student in the History department, and Mide Gbadegesin, a 700-level student in African Studies, have been rusticated for four semesters following a peaceful protest against fee hikes.

The report chronicles what led to the institutionalisation of the case by the management, the stance of the affected students and the efforts of the NGO in seeking fairness.

3. Young Nigerians Reviving Odeda’s Farmlands — One Plastic at a Time
In Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, a quiet revolution is growing rooted not in politics or profit, but in passion. A group of determined young Nigerians has taken it upon themselves to rewrite the story of their community’s environmental decline, transforming waste into wealth and degradation into hope.

For years, Odeda has struggled under the weight of environmental neglect. Once fertile lands now suffer from the scars of quarrying and deforestation. Farmlands that once yielded abundance have become exhausted, and heaps of unmanaged plastic waste now line footpaths and waterways.

4. OAU student, Oyindamola Ojo, earns recognition for research on Femi Adebayo’s Seven Doors
For many students, a final year project is just a requirement for graduation. But for Oyindamola Ojo, a Literature student at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, her research became a journey of passion, culture, and discovery. One that earned her public recognition and also led her to meet Nollywood star and cultural icon, Femi Adebayo.

In this interview, Oyindamola shared insights into how she developed an interest in oral tradition and how that passion eventually shaped her research focus.

6. Special Report: Silent struggles of students with disabilities in Nigeria’s education system
Some people wrongly believe that people living with disabilities are cursed or bring misfortune. These beliefs have created barriers that keep people with disabilities from fully participating in education, work, and even community life.

In some homes, children with disabilities are always hidden from view, not because they cannot learn, but because families fear judgment or gossip. Shame and embarrassment can prevent parents from seeking the education and support their children deserve

This report spotlights how two students with disabilities are navigating through the struggles that beset Persons With Disabilities in Nigeria’s educational system.

7. How women labourers working on construction sites defy abuses to survive
Inside Nigeria’s informal workforce, women daily defy odds, ignore health concerns and physical constraints to support their families in a gritty world dominated by men. This report expounds on how female labourers at different building construction sites rise above gender bias and sexual harassment to make a living.

8. Fake Scholarships and the Rise of Desperate Migration Among Nigerian Youths
With the growing desperation to migrate overseas, the rapid increase in fraudulent scholarship schemes targeting Nigerian youths has raised concerns across the country.

In recent months, numerous fraudulent agents have deceived students and graduates pursuing opportunities in countries such as Canada, the UK, and Germany.

9. From childhood trauma to global stage: Salvation Grace earns spot at World Summit
Salvation Grace, a Nigerian social-impact leader and founder of the youth-led organisation, Voice Against Rape and Sexual Harassment Foundation (VARSH Foundation), was recently selected for the One Young World Summit 2025 in Munich through the Hauwa Ojeifo Scholarship, following years of advocacy against sexual abuse and gender-based violence.

The report was focused on how Salvation, who grew up in a rural community in Osun State, attributed her childhood experience of abuse as an inspiration to be a child advocate across the nation.

10. Damilare, Ijaiye Ojokoro’s 15-year-old Head Boy paving path to success through designs
In a world where teenagers are often defined by their academic pursuits and social lives, 15-year-old Shomade Damilare is crafting a different narrative, one pixel at a time.

By day, he serves as the Head Boy of Ijaiye Ojokoro Senior College, a role that demands discipline and responsibility. By night, and in every spare moment in between, he transforms into Creative Damilare, a skilled graphic designer with a growing digital footprint of over 5,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

11. Next-Gen Solutions: How Youth-Led Civic Tech Is Transforming West Africa
Young African leaders are harnessing the power of Civic Technologies to repair broken systems, combat corruption, promote transparency and accountability across West Africa. Through open digital tools and community-driven technologies, civic tech is bridging the gap between citizens and government, driving enhanced communication, better service delivery, improved decision-making, and deeper political engagement.

At the recent Civic Tech 2025 Conference, innovators from Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and other neighbouring countries showcased groundbreaking digital solutions aimed at strengthening democratic participation and government accountability. These trailblazers are building tools for political education, fact-checking, legal advocacy, and citizen-driven anti-corruption reporting. This digital innovation is now becoming a catalyst for change across the region.

12. Roadsides turn garbage dumps in Abeokuta over lack of trash bins, irregular waste evacuation
Despite its administrative status, indiscriminate waste disposal has become prevalent among the residents in Abeokuta. When the Nigerian Voice reporter visited the city, nearly all roadsides were littered with refuse. Many streets were covered with decaying heaps of junk. The markets oozed out stench due to the filthy garbage mounted in open spaces. While it was gathered that the government provided a dumpster for each major market to keep and store their waste, most of the large containers were excessively overfilled with large chunks of debris scattered around the place, suggesting that it had been a long time since the state waste management agency had come to evacuate the trash.

13. Beyond gender disparities: How young female Nigerians thrive in the Tech space
Gradually, Tech and digital space are becoming more accommodating for young female Nigerians through various initiatives and programs. Most importantly, they have been instrumental in driving economic growth through innovations, development, and design.

However, ladies who currently engage with the digital and tech space often get inspired by curiosity and a desire to solve existing human problems.

14. Emerging Voices: Creative journey of Ifeoluwa Popoola and Olúwatúnmiṣe Ọ̀tọ̀lórìn Akìgbógun
Across Nigeria’s universities, a quiet literary revolution is unfolding. Amid the rush of lectures, campus politics, and the pressure to survive, a new generation of writers is rising using words as a form of protest, healing, and discovery. Among these rising voices are Ifeloluwa Popoola, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and Olúwatúnmiṣe Ọ̀tọ̀lórìn Akìgbógun, a final-year student of German Studies at the University of Ibadan. They represent a new generation of Nigerian creatives who are learning to turn pain into poetry, rejection into resilience, and thought into transformation.