The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ololade

  • The Nation’s Ololade wins Quill Award

    The Nation’s Ololade wins Quill Award

    The Nation’s multiple award-winning Associate Editor Olatunji Ololade at the weekend won the CSR/ Industry Reporting category of the Promasidor Quill Awards held in Lagos.

    He was also a runner-up in the Child and Nutrition category, with another  entry: I Do Not Want This Child.

    Ololade’s entry: Sorrowful song from the valley of Iva, published on September 19, last year, was adjudged the best in the CSR and Industry category, which had Seun Akioye, another award-winning The Nation reporter, as nominee, with the  entry:Endangered Treasure: 800 Year-Old Nasarawa Salt Mine at Risk of Extinction.”

    Also, an ex-CAMPUSLIFE reporter from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Kemi Busari, won Online Reporter of the Year category with his entry: Ours is a forgotten generation, published on Thevendornews.com.

    The overall prize  went to The Guardian’s  Ajibola Amzat, with his entry: Home Away. He succeeded The Nation’s Taiwo Alimi, who won the prize last year. Amzat’s entry also won Best Report on Children and Nutrition.

    Other winners include The Punch’s Tobi Aworinde and Tunde Ajaja (Education and Future Writer categories ),Leadership’s Nurein Kolawole (Photo category) and Nigerian Pilot’s Daphne Uduneje (Brand Advocate category).

    For being the overall winner, Amzat will be sponsored for multi-media journalism training at Thomson Foundation in United Kingdom (UK). The cost of the four-week training will be borne by Promasidor Nigeria Limited.

    The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Oliver Thiry, praised the contestants for the quality of the works submitted in all categories of the awards. He stressed that there was no reward that could adequately compensate the effort of journalists in educating the public.

  • Why The Nation man Ololade won, by CNN

    Why The Nation man Ololade won, by CNN

    The Nation’s serial award-winning Assistant Editor Olatunji Ololade emerged at the weekend winner of the Health and Medical Category of the CNN African Journalist of the Year.  Ololade received the award from the Managing Director of MSD South Africa, Kaja Natland in Arusha, Tanzania.

    He won the award for his story titled: “This marriage will kill me – Tragedy of Nigeria’s child brides”.  The judges praised Ololade for his excellent writing and attention to details.

    This is what the judges said about his winning entry: “This category provides the challenge of making oftencomplicated and technical issues understandable and readable. Our two excellent finalists illustrate both the range of entries and how well many of those rose to the challenge. Our winner produced a moving account of Nigeria’s child brides and a close look at the devastating medical and personal implications of forcing young teenagers to marry much older men. It is a major story on a widespread problem, written with a deep sense of humanity, and an excellent attention to detail. The medical issues are set out with clarity and the result leaves one with a tangible sense of the horrors of this practice and the long-term trauma. It is a moving and informative exemplar of the value of well-crafted health reporting. It was well-illustrated and effectively presented.”

  • CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist Awards hold in Tanzania

    CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist Awards hold in Tanzania

    The 19th edition of the prestigious CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards will hold tomorrow at the Mlimani Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

    Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, who made the announcement, said this year’s edition received entries from 48 countries. These include French and Portuguese-speaking countries.

    He said there are 28 finalists from 10 countries.

    Ugbe said some Nigerian journalists were nominated for the awards. They include Obinna Emelike (BusinessDay); Olatunji Ololade (The Nation), Bayo Olupohunda, a columnist with The Punch and joint nominees – Ben Ezeamalu and Emmanuel Ogala of Premium Times.

    The managing director said the CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist Awards represent the premier accolade for excellence in journalism on the continent.

    He said: “The awards have become the standard for excellence in journalism on the African continent and it is the reason for which journalists and media houses on the continent want to be associated with them.”

    In the past 19 years, Ugbe added, the awards have grown into a genuinely Pan-African event, with many cities on the continent hosting the ceremony.

    This year, CNN and MultiChoice celebrate their 10th year of partnership for the awards.

    The major sponsors of the awards are: The Coca-Cola Company; Ecobank Plc; GE Africa; IPP Media, Tanzania; Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and A24 Media.

  • The Nation man Ololade makes CNN Awards shortlist

    The Nation man Ololade makes CNN Awards shortlist

    The Nation serial award-winner Olatunji Ololade has been announced among the 28 finalists of the CNN African Journalist of the Year.

    The organisers’ statement at the weekend also showed that two reporters from Premium Times – Ben Ezeamalu and Emmanuel Ogala – made the shortlist.

    Other Nigerians, who will join other finalists from 10 countries, are: The Punch man Bayo Olupohunda and Business Day’s Obinna Emelike.

    Ololade and others will enjoy an all-expense paid finalists’ programme where prizes will be handed out to category and overall winners in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

    Winners will be announced at an award event and gala night on October 18.

    The gala, to be hosted by CNN International anchor and correspondent, Isha Sesay, will be preceded by an all-expense paid four-day programme of workshops, media fora and networking.

    A statement announcing the finalists quoted the Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of CNN International, Tony Maddox, as praising “the quality and excellence of work” in the competition.

    The other finalists from outside Nigeria are: Daniel Biaou Adje, ORTB, Benin; Safia Berkouk, El Watan, Algeria; Vinayak Bhardwaj and Tabelo Timse, M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism, Mail and Guardian, South Africa; Romão Brandão, Jornal OPAÍS, Angola; Sean Christie, Freelance for Landbouweekblad and The Mail and Guardian, South Africa; Bob Koigi, Farmbizafrica.com, Kenya and Joseph Mathenge, Freelance for The Saturday Nation, Kenya, among others.

     

  • Ololade needs N8.1m for kidney transplant

    Ololade needs N8.1m for kidney transplant

    Miss Ololade Aina is battling chronic life-thre-atening kidney ailment and needs N8.1 million for a transplant abroad to remain alive, writes CHINAKA OKORO

    On September 5, 1985, jubilation and joy enveloped the family of Mr and Mrs Aina who were residents of Lagos but indigenous to Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State. That was at the birth of their beautiful daughter Ololade who is now 28 years old. She is the second out of three children of Mrs Abioye Aina.

    She enrolled into the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta to further her education. Incidentally, she had to combine her academic activities with business due to some unsavoury family circumstances in order to help her mother, Mrs Abioye Aina to cater for her and three other siblings. She was employed by Integrated Corporate Services Limited (ICSL) in Lagos as a contract staff.

    Ololade was bubbling with life and was doing well in her job until two years ago when the unexpected happened. She took ill. Since 2012, Ololade has been battling a life-threatening renal problem.

    When she took ill, she was taken to Dialyzer Specialist Medical Centre at 60, Arowojobe Street, Oshodi Lagos for treatment.

    There, she was diagnosed with CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE and is currently undergoing dialysis twice weekly. She urgently and desperately needs help, for the bi-weekly dialysis sessions and for big one, the kidney transplant in India.

    Since then, Ololade has neither been herself again nor able to return to school at least to actualise her dream of becoming one of Nigeria’s female intellectuals that would contribute to her socio-economic and political advancement.

    Again, her parents, especially her mother who has been both man and wife for the family and those who know Ololade have been in shock as they watch her wither away gradually as her condition deteriorates.

    Her mother and relations had already spent millions of Naira, thus stretching the family’s resources beyond its malleable limits, even as it has plunged them into massive debts. Those who have an idea about Dialyzer Specialist Medical Centre would appreciate the financial implications of what Ololade, her mother, friends and relations have gone through in terms of money already expended on her being on admission there for some time now.

    No doubt, Ololade is still alive by divine providence. She should have gone to India since last year as advised by her doctors on a very urgent note, for proper medical treatment. This has not been possible due to the paucity of her mother’s purse. The inability of her mother and relations to raise N8.1 million has prevented Ololade from enjoying her normal life again. Ensuing from this seedy situation, Ololade has remained in Nigeria experiencing excruciating pains. N8.1 million has stood between this once bubbly, lovely and hard working girl and normal life.

    Consequent to non-availability of the needed fund, she has been a guest to several hospitals in Nigeria in spirited efforts by her distraught mother and relations to sustain her until they are able to raise such whopping amount of money to send her to India for the kidney transplant.

    Ololade, the once beautiful creature full of life is now a pathetic sight to behold. Her voice and appetite have also been affected. She has shrunk so dangerously and her skin colour and texture have undergone dramatic change. She could hardly speak audibly and seldom eats.

    Recently, her condition became worse, a development that made her doctors to warn seriously this time round that she can no longer afford to delay her trip to India to have the required and necessary medical treatment.

    A medical report issued and signed by Dr E.K. Asomugha on behalf of the Medical Director of Dialyzer Specialist Medical Centre on December 27, 2013 indicates that Miss Ololade Aina was assessed and it was discovered that she had chronic kidney disease secondary to chronic glomerulonephritis and was commenced on haemodialysis. She is placed currently placed on two times-weekly schedule.

    Miss Aina has been advised on Renal Transplant as a mode of her renal replacement therapy and she is currently making effort towards finding a suitable donor for the transplant operation.

    Afraid that she and her family may lose their precious daughter and sister should they continue to save money on their own to ferry their daughter to India for the kidney transplant, Ololade’s mother and friends, forced by the degeneration and the piercingly agonising misery which Ololade has been in for some time now, have decided to appeal to their fellow Nigerians for financial assistance.

    They are appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians to help them raise N8.1 million required to finance her medical trip abroad.

    To this end, a Save-Ololade-Aina dedicated account number GTB 0004258886 (205/133092/1590 OLAWUNMI BELLO) has been opened to enable benevolent individuals who wish to help Ololade get well and live her normal life again to make their donations.

    Those who are parents would better appreciate a situation where they watch a dear son or daughter in such a very distressing condition and lack the wherewithal to do anything to halt the heart-rending situation. What a scary thought it would be!

    Nigerians are noted for their large-heartedness. Those who are moved by Ololade’s optimism that, she would not die but live to testify the goodness of the Almighty and the benevolence of fellow Nigerians in the land of the living should not delay or hesitate to come to her rescue.

    Imagine that Ololade is your daughter or your sister. Right now, the most consuming desire of this girl’s heart is to be alive and well again to resume her academic career. Nigerians, known for their eagerness to compassionately respond to distress call like this would not let Ololade down and allow the unrelenting disease to waste her young life.

    Every kobo donated towards making Ololade to come back to her normal life goes a long way to retrieve her from the cold grip of death.

    Ololade’s heartfelt appeal goes to governments at all levels, philanthropic organisations, corporate bodies, professional bodies, women groups, parents who understand the pangs of labour and other distinguished Nigerians who, we are sure, cannot sit by and watch this ailment waste Ololade.

    The earlier she travels to India for the kidney transplant, the more sure we are that Ololade will live to become one of Nigeria’s famous female contributor to her development.

    Please, help her as God Almighty whose other name is Mercy, would watch over you and your entire household, even as He takes care of your needs.

    For more information and verification, you may wish to contact her mother Mrs. Aina on 08027120175 or her Auntie Olawunmi Bello on 08027714488.