The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has commended PRNigeria for sustaining its Young Communication Fellowship (YCF) for three consecutive years despite the expiration of the grant support that helped launch the initiative.
Executive Director of WSCIJ, Motunrayo Alaka, gave the commendation while delivering the keynote address at the closing ceremony of the 2026 PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship for the Ilorin cohort.
Alaka recalled that WSCIJ supported the fellowship at its inception through the Collaborative Media Project (CMEDIA), with grant from MacArthur Foundation expressing delight that PRNigeria continued the programme after the funding cycle ended in 2024.
“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.
She 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.
She also encouraged the fellows to combine professional competence with leadership and business knowledge, stressing that continuous learning and curiosity were 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 commended PRNigeria for creating a platform through which young professionals could acquire practical communication skills.
He urged the graduating fellows to build on the knowledge and experience gained during the programme and uphold its values in their respective careers.
Suleiman also praised the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Yushau A. Shuaib, for sustaining the initiative.
“He has established himself as a true giant in the industry who is paving the path for others to follow seamlessly,” Suleiman said.
He described the fellowship as an important component of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility, particularly its investment in developing 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.
He cited the contribution of the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation, which donated a facility to PRNigeria in Abuja, enabling the fellowship to accommodate participants throughout its 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 to us by the founder of Maryam Abacha American University, Professor Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo. The next cohort will be at the Kano Centre,” Lawal said.
“All our fellows are now hosted residentially throughout the duration of the two-week intensive programme.”
Lawal disclosed that the 2026 fellows were competitively selected from nearly 700 applications, adding that the fellowship would move to Kano in October for its third and final cohort of the year.
He urged the participants to maximise the opportunities and professional networks developed during the programme, remain good ambassadors of PRNigeria and apply their newly acquired skills in their careers.
The closing ceremony also featured the recognition of outstanding participants, with Adegbite Anuoluwapo Rafat emerging 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 intensive 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.
The PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship, now in its third year, is designed as an intensive training and mentorship programme for young graduates and emerging professionals seeking practical experience in journalism, public relations and strategic communication.
By PRNigeria
