Amina Yuguda Wins 2017 BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

Amina Yuguda, a Nigerian journalist has won the third BBC World News Komla Dumor Award [2017].

Amina Yuguda is a news presenter on local network Gotel Television, from north-eastern Nigeria where she has reported on high-profile news stories, including the Boko Haram insurgency.

She will commence a three-month placement at the BBC in London in September [2017].

The BBC World News Komla Dumor award was created to honour Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014.

Ms Amina Yuguda said her win was a “huge honour”. According to her:

“I was overwhelmed with joy. Storytellers have always had an important role in Africa… this is what defines us. Today journalists are taking on that responsibility.

With little or no formal education, my countrymen can hold their own in a variety of topics, including the Trump presidency in America, North Korea’s defiance, Russia’s foreign relations under Putin, and more.”

She impressed the panel with her story-telling and her ability to convey complex ideas in a way that resonates with a wide audience.

BBC World Service Group Director Francesca Unsworth said Ms Yuguda was a worthy winner:

“To find someone who possesses many of Komla’s qualities is something for us to celebrate, and we are very excited about working with Amina.”

Previous winners of the Komla Dumor Award were Ugandan news anchor Nancy Kacungira and Nigerian business journalist Didi Akinyelure.

Zannah Mustapha Wins 2017 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award

Zannah Mustapha, a Nigerian lawyer and advocate for the rights of displaced children growing up amid violence in north-eastern Nigeria to get a quality education, is the 2017 winner of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugee Award.

Zannah Mustapha helped to secure the release of dozens of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014.

The Nansen Refugee Award, which is bestowed by the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), has been won in the past by Eleanor Roosevelt and Luciano Pavarotti, and the winner receives $150,000 to fund a project complementing their existing work.

In the words of Zannah Mustapha, the 2017 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award Winner:

“I am exceedingly happy and motivated to do more … I will scale up my efforts.

Some of the students that started in my school have graduated, and they are now going into university – I can use this money to help them complete the cycle.”

Zannah Mustapha is the founder of two schools which offer free education, meals, uniforms and healthcare to its pupils, and even enrol children born to Boko Haram fighters to learn alongside those orphaned by the Islamist group’s eight-year insurgency. Those orphaned by the conflict on both sides are welcomed into Mustapha’s classrooms as a sign of the reconciliation he hopes to achieve in the region.

His first venture, Future Prowess Islamic Foundation School, opened a decade ago and was the only school in Borno state in northeast Nigeria to remain open when Boko Haram in 2009 began their brutal campaign to carve out an Islamic state. Future Prowess has grown from 36 students to 540. Desperate for an education, thousands more children have added their names to its waiting list. In 2016, his second school opened just a few kilometres away from the first. Eighty-eight children, all of whom have fled conflict in the region, walk through its classroom doors each day.

The Islamist militants have killed hundreds of teachers and forced more than 1,000 schools to shut, leaving tens of thousands of children without an education, aid agencies say.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi hailed Mustapha for helping to foster peace and rebuild communities devastated by violence. According to Grandi:

“Education is one of the most powerful tools for helping refugee children overcome the horrors of violence and forced displacement.”

Mustapha’s work also includes helping to negotiate the release of more than 100 of the 220-odd girls snatched from their school in Chibok in April 2014 in the biggest publicity coup of Boko Haram’s insurgency that prompted global outrage and the international campaign #bringbackourgirls.

The return of 82 of the girls in May marked the second group release of the Chibok girls by the militants – with both deals brokered by Switzerland and the Red Cross and mediated by Mustapha – after a group of 21 were freed in October last year.

A few others have escaped or been rescued but about 113 of the girls are believed to be still held captive by Boko Haram.

The Islamist group has killed at least 20,000 people and uprooted more than 2.7 million across the Lake Chad region and sparked one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, according to aid agencies.

Despite being driven back from much of the territory it held, Boko Haram has ramped up attacks this year, targeting civilians and camps for the displaced with suicide bombings.

More recently, Mustapha donated acres of his own land to 800 displaced families. Building a water irrigation pump and shelter, these families are now able to support themselves and sell their produce at local markets.

The UNHCR Nansen Refugees award was established in 1954 and awarded annually to an individual, group or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced and stateless persons.

The award includes a Commonwealth medal and monetary prize of $100,000 donated by the governments of Norway and Switzerland to begin a project in consultation with UNHCR, to complement the laureate’s existing work.

OAU Faculty of Law Wins Spirit of the Competition Award [2017]

Three students from the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife in Osun State, have won the Spirit of the Competition Award at the 4th International Negotiation Competition in New Delhi, India.

The trio were Oyewole Faith Bamise, Oyiki Great, Ayansola Oluwaseun Joshua, all 500 Level students of the faculty of law (OAU). Mr M. A. Latest, lecturer in the same faculty was their team coach.

It was the first time a Nigerian team participated in the competition.

The Competition was organized by U.K. based firm of Herbert Smith Freehills, HSF, in collaboration with and hosted by the National Law University, New Delhi, India.

Continue reading OAU Faculty of Law Wins Spirit of the Competition Award [2017]

Adetayo Adetunji Wins 2017 ITF U-18 Junior Circuit Title

Adetayo Adetunji has been crowned  champion of the girls’ singles at ITF U-18 Junior Circuit in Benin Republic following a 6-4, 6-1 win over Linda Elounde of Cameroun.
17-year-old Adetayo Adetunji, who is based in South Africa, was also a quarter-finalist at this year’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Bahamas in July.
The Nigerian team have now moved to Lome, Togo for the second and third legs of the point-earning tournament featuring over 80 players from 24 countries across the world.
Assistant National Junior coach Abel Ubiebi, who is leading the delegation, expressed satisfaction with the overall performance of the team promising that the lapses noticed in their performance will be fixed.
He declared:

D’Tigers Emerge 2nd At 2017 Afrobasket Championship

Nigeria senior male basketball team D’Tigers have emerged second place winner at the finals of the 2017 Afrobasket Championship. This is after the Team was dethroned as African Champions after a 65-77 defeat to host Tunisia

D’Tigers started the game strongly but the hosts Tunisia put up a fight and prevented the men from replicating the heroics of the D’Tigress.

In the final quarter, the Team were trailing by as many as 15 points but they cut the deficit to eight with three minutes, 31 seconds left but they could not complete the comeback and eventually lost by 65 to 77 points.

Captain Ike Diogu who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player led Nigeria with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Diogu along with teammate Ike Iroegbu were also named in the Afrobasket All-Stars team.

Team Delta Emerge 2017 National Youth Games (NYG) Winner

Defending champions Team Delta has won the third edition of the National Youth Games (NYG), after gathering 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze medals in Ilorin.

Team Akwa Ibom emerged second with 16 gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze medals, while Ondo State finished third with 12 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze medals.

Hosts Kwara, which finished third last year with 8 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze medals dropped one place to fourth with 10 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals.

Ogun State gathered 7 gold, 6 silver and 14 bronze medals to place fifth, while Bayelsa State were in sixth place with 7 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Benue State won 7 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals in 7th place with Kaduna State in 8th position with 6 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze medals.

Osun State won 6 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals to finish in ninth place.

Niger State completed the list of top 10 states with 6 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze medals.

FCT garnered 4 gold, 3 silver and 7 bronze medals to finish in 11th position, with Oyo State in 12th place with 3 gold, 2 silver and 10 bronze medals.

Plateau State occupied the 13th position with 2 gold, 7 silver and 11 bronze medals, while Anambra State finished 14th with 2 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals.

Kano State ended the competition with 2 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals in 15th place, with Rivers in 16th position with 2 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals.

Kogi State won 2 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze medals to place 17th, while Imo State finished in 18th place with 2 gold and 2 bronze medals.

Ekiti State won only 2 gold in 19th place to push Nasarawa State into 20th position after it gathered 1 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze medals.

Team Delta State had won the National Youth Games (NYG) second edition at the same University of Ilorin venue with a total of 9 gold, 7 silver and 10 bronze medals.

The Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, said the ministry was working assiduously to improve on the standard of the Games.

The Minister explained that it was in line with this that the number of events would be streamlined to reduce the burden of hosting.

In his words:

“Also, the Games will from the fourth edition in 2018 feature only under-15 athletes, in order for us to be able to fight age falsification.

The Games provides an avenue to bring the youths together under an atmosphere of friendly competition designed to enhance their potentials and all-round development.’’

Results:

Wrestling

Female 48 kg

Gold- Adekuoroye Mercy (Ondo)
Silver- Precious Ayuba (Nasarawa)
Bronze- Prince Preye (Bayelsa)
Bronze- Agatha Peter (Plateau)

Female 53kg

Gold- Kolawole Esther (Ondo)
Silver- Daniel Great (Ebonyi)
Bronze- Joseph Ozioma (Delta)
Bronze- Magret Musa (Kaduna)

Karate

Male – 55 kg

Gold- Bashir Abdulazeez (Kwara)
Silver- Omotayo Agbolade (Delta)
Bronze- Ikobong Uko (Akwa Ibom)
Bronze- Abdulraman Mohammed (Bauchi)

Male – 60 kg

Gold- Peter Emmanuel (Anambra)
Silver- Kelvin Kin (Plateau)
Bronze: Komolafe Moses (FCT)
Bronze: Usman Hussiani (Nasarawa)

Teakwodo

Male – 48 kg

Gold- Ibrahim Aliyu (Kebbi)
Silver-plated Adamu Ismail (Plateau)
Bronze- Okolie Chinedu (Delta)
Bronze- Nelson Ifeoluwa (Osun)

Female – 46 kg

Gold- Chidinma Nwankwo (Ebonyi)
Silver- Blessing Peter (Delta)
Bronze- Amina Mahamud (Plateau)
Bronze- Saadat Mustapha (Ogun)

The 2017 National Youth Games (NYG) which began on September 7 [2017] ended on September 16, 2017 in Ilorin.

Pius Adesanmi Emerge Recipient of 2017 CBIE Leadership Award

Pius Adesanmi, has been named the recipient of the Canada Bureau of International Education (CBIE) Leadership Award for 2017.

Mr. Pius Adesanmi, a professor of English language and Literature at Carleton University, Canada, heads the university’s Institute of African Studies. He holds a doctoral degree from the University of British Columbia.

The letter dated September 8 was signed by the President and Chief Executive of CIBE, Karen McBride and read as follows:

“It is our great pleasure to inform you that you have been selected to receive the CBIE Board of Director’s Leadership Award.

Our deepest congratulations to you on this highly merited honour.”

The award won by Mr. Adesanmi, also a Premium Times Columnist according to the CBIE, is for an individual whose contributions to and support for international education is recognised and highly valued.

The organisation says: “This outstanding individual personifies CBIE’s central value proposition: Expertise. Knowledge. Opportunity. Leadership”. This Award bestows Honorary Membership.

“This Award is typically made by the Board of Directors. Nominations are not accepted for this Award. However, the Board is interested in hearing from members who wish to suggest a possible recipient.”

The Board listed some criteria for the selection to include:
– Highly influential;
– Has played a significant role in raising the profile of international education;
– Contribution to international education is substantial, and has made an impact on Canada and/or other parts of the world;
– Not necessarily from a CBIE member institution;
– Not necessarily Canadian.”

For nearly a decade, Mr. Adesanmi has worked in African countries to groom the next generation of researchers in the humanities and the social sciences by training PhDs, postdocs, and early-career lecturers in interdisciplinary conversations and methodology. He has served for five years as faculty and consultant to the University of Ghana’s Pan-African Doctoral Academy, an annual summer school for doctoral students from the West and East African subregions.

During his sabbatical in Ghana in 2013-2014, he designed a brand new PhD programme in African Thought for the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana. He is also the Associate Director of the Abiola Irele School of Theory and Criticism, an annual summer training school for Nigerian lecturers at the Kwara State University. In South Africa, he works with the University of Johannesburg and Wits University to train and mentor doctoral and postdoctoral students in interdisciplinary research methods.

In 2010, Mr. Pius Adesanmi won the inaugural Penguin Prize for African Writing with his book, You’re Not a Country, Africa. The Penguin Prize was initiated by Penguin Books in conjunction with Chinua Achebe. Mr. Adesanmi is the Director of Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies, the only such Institute in any Canadian University.

Mr. Adesanmi, with other honourees, were presented with the award at the CBIE’s 51st Annual Conference at the World Trade Conference and Convention Centre, Halifax, Canada.

Established in 1966, CIBE is not-for-profit organisation promoting “the special interests of the international learner, both the foreign national studying in Canada and the Canadian studying abroad, through educational exchanges, scholarships, training awards and internships, technical assistance in education and other related services.”

Its patron is David Johnson, the Governor-General of Canada.