Just two months after the public presentation of his book, “The Catalyst: Nigerian Tech Evolution Through a Journalist’s Lens”, the immediate past Editor of The PUNCH, Dayo Oketola, has been named Editor of the Year at the prestigious Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME).

Oketola was adjudged Editor of the Year at the 33rd edition of DAME. At the same time, Niyi Adesina, Editor of The Nation, and Femi Adekoya, Editor of The Guardian, emerged as first and second runners-up, respectively.

The PUNCH was also adjudged the Newspaper of the Year, among other awards.

Commenting on the industry accolade via his social media handles, the consummate editor, said, ” I attended the 33rd edition of the DAME in Lagos on Saturday, November 30, 2024, as a guest. I had no inkling that I was nominated and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be standing on the podium as the Editor of the Year. It was an incredible surprise, and I am truly grateful to God for the opportunity.

“I was a runner-up at the DAME last year and today, the award is in the bag, following our exploits at the Nigeria Media Merit Award in 2023. It’s a huge testament to our capacity, consistency, and grit as well as an objectively unbiased assessment of our contributions.”

In his remarks, the organisers of the awards,  Mr Lanre Idowu, said the awards were tokens of appreciation for good work and a source of encouragement for greater productivity.

Idowu, also the Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Publications Ltd. and Editor-in-Chief of Media Review, said that DAME was in pursuit of excellence and would maintain high quality.

He said that DAME had to drop 10 categories of the awards because there were no quality entries on them.

He urged those willing to participate in subsequent editions of the awards to work harder.

“Indeed, the central message of the stories that have been nominated for awards today is one of hope, of the need for a better society, and of a belief that Nigeria can and will be better,” he noted.

Recall that the erstwhile Editor, The PUNCH  recently held an exaugural lecture to mark the end of his assignment as Editor of The PUNCH and the public presentation of his book.

The event featured an impressive lineup of speakers, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; and founder of the Love of Christ Generation Church, Reverend Mother Esther Ajayi.

At the event, Obasanjo emphasised Nigeria’s potential to attract investment and foster economic growth. He underscored the importance of creating a conducive environment for investment and called for a commitment to character, understanding, and knowledge to transform Nigeria into a prosperous nation free from insecurity and hardship.

Oketola had recently embarked on #thecatalystbooktour, an international platform  to engage with readers and friends while talking about tech, innovation, and advocating for the reading culture in local communities

Talking about his book already online and in bookstores in Abuja and Lagos, the former PUNCH editor, said, ” The book offers a comprehensive chronicle of Nigeria’s telecommunications evolution, which began with the introduction of GSM in 2001, to the vibrant and competitive industry we witness today.  It also highlights the bold initiatives that opened the sector to private investment, leading to over $70 billion in capital inflow and the creation of over 500,000 jobs.”

The origins and visionaries behind Nigeria’s mobile revolution were explored in the book, according to him, adding that the work highlights the exclusion of people with disabilities, advocating for more inclusive design.

“It further examines the Nigerian Communications Commission’s role in regulating and advancing the sector and investigates the operational challenges faced by NigComSat-1R. The vital role of social media in combating Ebola, the empowerment of female farmers through mobile technology, and the contributions of prominent Nigerian women in tech were also discussed,” Oketola noted.

“The book not only provides valuable insights into strategies for unlocking the full potential of the digital economy while promoting inclusive growth, but it also serves as a testament to the extraordinary progress achieved and a poignant reminder of the ongoing efforts required to ensure that the benefits of this revolution reach every citizen. For your copies, please visit https://rhbooks.com.ng/product/the-catalyst-nigerian-tech-evolution-through-a-journalists-lens/. You can also visit my website – https://dayooketola.com/books/,” he added.

Rosemary, the mother of Sylvester Oromoni, the deceased pre-teen secondary school student who was the subject of a high-profile bullying case involving Dowen College in Lagos, is dead.

The bereaved, a family source tells TheCable, passed away in late November after an intermittent blood pressure-related illness.

Rosemary’s passing comes a little over seven months after a special court in Lagos ruled against the family on the matter back in April.

Sylvester Oromoni controversially died on November 30, 2021, while still a student at Dowen College in Lekki Lagos.

His parents alleged that the boy, who was aged 12, was bullied, beaten up, and fed a chemical substance by five of his male colleagues.

Dowen College had dismissed the claim, stating that the late student only sustained injuries while playing football with his friends.

The Oromoni family had countered Dowen’s claim, arguing that their son had no pre-existing health challenges before the incident.

In January 2022, an initial autopsy declared that Oromoni Junior died of “acute lung injury due to chemical intoxication”.

This post-mortem was discredited due to its methods and some dissatisfactions surrounding the parties who witnessed the procedure.

The Lagos department of public prosecution (DPP) conducted a second autopsy which ruled that Oromoni died “naturally”.

The case was under inquiry in a coroner’s court from 2022 until last April when it got a final ruling.

Among the defendants of the case are the five accused teenage schoolboys of Dowen College.

They include Favour Benjamin, Micheal Kashamu, Edward Begue, Ansel Temile, and Kenneth Inyang.

All five boys were cleared and released from the juvenile home in 2022.

Several witnesses testified during the two-year pendency of the case, including doctors, students, Dowen staff, and the principal.

The father of the deceased Sylvester Oromoni (Snr) and the mother Rosemary also took to the witness box on several occasions.

Some of the Dowen empl

Oromoni was buried on January 27, 2024, after the bereaved family opted to keep his corpse in the morgue as a protest gesture.

Mikhail Kadiri, the judge who presided over the coroner’s court, resolved that Oromoni died of sepsis emanating from an infection of the lungs and kidney caused by an ankle injury.

Some of the Dowen employees involved in the case include Celina Uduak, Valentine Igboekweze, Hammed Ayomo Bariyu, Adesanya Olusesan Olusegun, and one Adeyemi, all of whom were initially accused of “negligent act causing harm” in the case.

Kadiri attributed Oromoni’s death to “parental and medical negligence” and exonerated the authorities of Dowen College.

The coroner’s verdict also ruled that neither bullying nor chemical poisoning as alleged was responsible for the student’s death.

But the family and its legal representatives protested that the inquiry ignored “crucial evidence” in reaching its verdict.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says its operatives have uncovered an illegal production site for counterfeit alcoholic beverages on Lagos Island.

In a statement on Monday, the agency said its team, acting on a complaint, discovered a shop repurposed for producing and packaging fake alcoholic drinks on Offin Road in the Balogun area of Lagos Island.

“Assorted bottles of the offending products were destroyed on-site, while packaging materials, empty bottles, and repackaged drinks were confiscated,” the statement reads.

“The estimated value of the destroyed and seized items exceeds N30 million.

“NAFDAC has initiated further investigations and advises consumers to buy alcoholic beverages only from reputable vendors and to report any suspicious products and activities to the nearest NAFDAC office.”