NIPR Commends Female Students for Winning 2024/2025 Young Communicator Awards

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has applauded female students from Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (MAAUN), Kano and Nile University, Abuja for winning the prestigious 2024/2025 Young Communicator Awards. The honours were conferred under the National Spokespersons Awards at the sidelines of the 2025 Campus Journalism Awards at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Presenting the awards, Mrs. Maryam Sanusi, Chairman of the NIPR Membership Committee and the first female chairperson of the institute’s FCT Chapter, described the recipients as “shining stars” whose achievements reflect the rising influence of young women in the communication profession. She urged them to remain confident, focused, and courageous in their pursuit of excellence.

“Believe in yourself. As ladies, what men can do, you can do even better because you are human beings with great potential,” she told the awardees, encouraging them to view the recognition as motivation to achieve greater feats. Sanusi also commended the organisers of the Campus Journalism Awards and the Young Communicator Awards for creating credible pathways that inspire emerging communication professionals.

She called on tertiary institutions offering Mass Communication to encourage students to register as NIPR students and graduate members, enabling them to attain associate membership after graduation. Sanusi further invited universities and communication students to participate in the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) scheduled to take place in Abuja in 2026.

Video documentaries screened at the ceremony highlighted the remarkable work undertaken by both sets of university students.

Fatima Garba Bako from MAAUN produced a hard-hitting investigative report that drew attention to Dansarai Primary School in Gezawa, Kano—a dilapidated facility that doubles as a nighttime hideout for criminal gangs. Her reporting prompted intervention from the Kano State Government. Beyond this investigation, she has built a portfolio covering women’s rights, climate change, and food security.

The students from Nile University developed a strategic advocacy campaign for the Arewa Economic Forum (AEF) to challenge the proposed Bureau de Change (BDC) recapitalisation policy. Their research revealed that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s plan to raise BDC capital requirements from ₦35 million to ₦2 billion was unrealistic for many operators—particularly in northern Nigeria—and risked pushing some into illegal financial activities.

The students’ well-executed press conference generated extensive media coverage, contributing to a months-long delay in the policy’s implementation—a tangible demonstration of the power of strategic communication to influence policy.

The Young Communicator Awards celebrate exceptional contributions by young Nigerians in public relations, journalism, and advocacy. The initiative is driven by Spokesperson’s Digest, a sister publication of PRNigeria under Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), which also runs the annual Young Communication Fellowship and the National Spokespersons Awards.

The Campus Journalism Awards (CJA), founded by Gidado Yushau Shuaib of Youth Digest, remain Nigeria’s leading platform honouring excellence in student journalism. Since its establishment in 2018, the CJA has evolved into a national movement, attracting over 2,500 entries from more than 100 tertiary institutions. The 2025 edition, themed “AI and the Future of Journalism,” crowned Usman Bashir Abubakar, a law student from the University of Maiduguri, as Campus Journalist of the Year.

PRNigeria