The Courtroom Induction
Join the largest network of intellectual writers and columnists across Nigerian universities.
How it works
Find a Partner
If you are a writer, pair up with another student from your school who is passionate about writing (or campus journalism).
Pick a Topic
Amidst the three controversial topics listed below, you are allowed to pick only one.
Write
Collaborate with your partner and write a 1000-word piece. You are expected to write 500 words (at most) on each side of the controversial topic.
Pool of Topics
- Nigeria needs a female president?
- A divided Nigeria is good for us all?
- NYSC should be optional!
Check out Samples of Courtroom Articles
Eligibility Requirements
Student Status
No age restrictions. But you have to be a student in any of the listed universities to be able to participate. We are receiving entries from students in all levels except finalists.
Eligible Universities
University - Federal University of Technology, Akure.
University of Ibadan.- Obafemi Awolowo University
- Lagos State University.
University of Lagos.Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.- Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
- Bowen University.
- Ekiti State University.
- Olabisi Onabanjo University
- Federal University, Oye-Ekiti.
- Covenant University.
- Redeemers’ University.
Submission Guidelines
- You are not allowed to write on a topic outside the three suggested topics.
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The submitted work must be unpublished before submission.
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The maximum amount of words is 1, 000 words.
- Your entry must be co-authored – meaning written by two writers.
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Every contestant is entitled to only ONE entry.
- All submissions should be forwarded to the courtroomng@gmail.com.
- The subject of the mail should read – 2019 Courtroom Induction.
- The body of the mail should contain the following for each writer: Name, Email Address, Phone Number, Department, Level, Name of University and Title of Entry.
- Please attach the entry itself as an MS-Word file.
Timeline
NOVEMBER 22, 2018
Call for Applications Begin
DECEMBER 22, 2018
Deadline for Submission (23:59 GMT+1)
JANUARY 5, 2019
Main Event – Induction and Training
Deadline for Submission of Entries
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Keynote Speaker
‘Fisayo Soyombo – Special Guest at the Induction Ceremony
‘Fisayo Soyombo was pioneer Editor of TheCable, Nigeria’s third most followed online newspaper, and former Editor of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR). He is currently the Managing Editor of SaharaReporters.
Soyombo believes journalism is not just a profession but a calling — a vital instrument for enhancing and propagating democracy, and serving humanity, particularly the downtrodden.
His notable investigations include the Blood on the Plateau series, which unravelled the brutality of years of ethnocentric killings in Plateau State, north-central Nigeria; an undercover investigation into bribery and corruption at Nigeria’s biggest
In his latest work, published in May 2018, he drove the equivalent of a stolen car from Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, to Lagos, the country’s commercial hub. Not only did he arrive Lagos safely with the car,
He is also a 2013 winner of the Deutsche Welle/Orange Magazine Reporting Fellowship, a 2014 finalist for the Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism, and a 2017 winner of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting (Online category).
Soyombo is an op-ed contributor to Al Jazeera and has also written for TAZ, Journal Du Dimanche, the Daily Mail UK and Africa In Fact. His writings have been translated into German, French, and Arabic.
Soyombo holds a B. Agric. in Animal Science from the University of Ibadan.
He tweets @fisayosoyombo
2017 Induction in Pictures
