Following a fact-check by Dubawa, IJNet, a publication of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), has updated its report which claimed that the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), is the oldest campus news outlet in Nigeria.
The report published on 3rd December 2021, revealed how UCJ-UNILORIN, a student-led media organization founded in 1996, is advancing journalism in Nigeria, serving as a voice for students and “offering passionate students with little to no experience in journalism an opportunity to develop their talents.”
It designated UCJ-UNILORIN as the “oldest campus news outlet in Nigeria“.
However, a fact-check by Dubawa revealed that the UCJ at the University of Ilorin, which was established in 1996, was predated by student-led media outlets at the University of Ibadan and the Obafemi Awolowo University.
The Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) at the University of Ibadan was established in 1987. It has produced 34 presidents, including Laolu Akande, spokesperson to Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, who led the organization in the 1988/1989 session, and multiple award-winning journalist Fisayo Soyombo, who was president in 2007/2008.
On the other hand, the Association of Campus Journalists (ACJ) at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Dubawa found, is the oldest campus media outlet in Nigeria.
Founded in 1963, the student-led media outlet boasts of a rich alumni made up of frontline human rights and constitutional lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, Dapo Olorunyomi, publisher of Pulitzer-winning publication, Premium Times; and the University’s current Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede.
It recently elected it’s 50th president, Faith Alofe, in September 2021.
Following Dubawa’s fact-check, the IJNet report was updated on Monday 10th January, 2022, to reflect current realities.
“Founded in 1996 by a group of students who shared the same zeal for journalism, UCJ UNILORIN is one of the oldest campus news outlets in Nigeria,” it reads.