Broadcasting
Ruth Okorocha Emerges Winner of Nigeria Info’s I Beg To Differ Debate Competition
After weeks of extensive debates on diverse socio-economic and political issues that pertain to the overall development of Nigeria, Ruth Okorocha, a fourteen-year-old student of King’s Way College, has emerged as the winner of the second edition of Nigeria Info’s “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Competition.
The debate competition, which began on the 4th of March, 2022, had hundreds of applications from secondary school students between the ages of thirteen to seventeen years. This is in a bid to create an educative platform that encourages Nigerian youths to hold intellectually-stimulating conversations that centre on the issues affecting the overall progress of the country.
This will invariably develop the intellectual capabilities of the teeming youthful population across Nigeria to critically assess complex socio-economic issues that address national growth and development.
The final lap of the debate competition, which was aired live on Nigeria Info’s Hard Fact Show, had Ruth conquering Debrah Pamzat, a fifteen-year-old student of Senior College, Kankon Badagry, after debating on a social-political topic centred around the need for people to be considered indigenes of their spouse’s state of origin.
Commenting on the success of the competition, Serge Noujaim, the Chief Executive Officer of Cool FM, Nigeria Info, and Wazobia FM, congratulated the finalists for their resilience throughout the various stages of the competition.
“I sincerely want to use this medium to congratulate all the contestants who have participated at various levels in this competition. I understand that this debate tournament is a challenging one as everyone displayed brilliance throughout the diverse stages. I am, therefore, confident that everyone selected for this context is a winner.
“This is because providing a platform that grooms the confidence levels of teenagers, who are the future leaders, is definitely one of the profound ways of securing the future of our great country.
“As such, I am confident that all the contestants have garnered experiences that will shape their perspectives on socio-political issues going forward,” he said.
Sharing her excitement after emerging as the winner of the second edition of the competition, Ruth Okorocha, expressed her deep appreciation to everyone who assisted her in achieving this success as she could not have done it alone.
“I am sincerely grateful to everyone who assisted me in one way or the other to be a part of this debate tournament. I am also grateful to Nigeria Info for giving me the opportunity to express my ideas on a few national issues. It afforded me the privilege to also learn from other debaters,” she enthused.
Ruth was given a one-million-naira cash prize, a laptop, a Chromebook, a notebook, while the first runner-up, Debrah Pamzat from Senior College in Badagry, received 500,000 naira, a Chromebook, an iPhone, and a tablet. The second-runner up, Olamilekan Ramadan from Federal Government College, Ijanikin, got 250,000 naira, a portable speaker, and a tablet.
The “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Tournament is a novel imitative from Nigeria Info that strives to develop the intellectual ability of Nigerian youths on a national scale.
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has announced the postponement of its maiden annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes to January 25, 2026.
NIPR
The event, earlier scheduled for December 7, 2025, was deferred to accommodate stakeholders whose observance of Christmas festivities had commenced earlier than expected.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Israel Opayemi, urged stakeholders to note the new date and prepare to participate in the ceremony.
He said the awards would motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars, while enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the public relations ecosystem and strengthening brand equity for all stakeholders.
Opayemi reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class award administration and ceremony, describing the PRICE Awards as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors.
The development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when the NIPR President and Chairman, Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, inaugurated a 12-man committee to organise the maiden edition. The inauguration followed the Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team tasked with establishing the awards.
Netflix has announced a landmark agreement to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max in a transaction valued at $82.7 billion, a move analysts say will reshape the global entertainment industry.
Netflix
The deal, which includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Games, was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix shares for each WBD share.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the acquisition as “a defining moment” for the streaming giant, noting that the company intends to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations while expanding its production capacity.
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies with Netflix’s culture-defining titles, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” Sarandos said.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, following the planned spin-off of WBD’s TV networks division, Discovery Global, in 2026. Netflix projects annual cost savings of $2–3 billion by the third year after completion and expects the deal to be accretive to earnings per share by year two.
Industry groups, including the Directors Guild of America and Cinema United, have raised concerns about the impact on movie theaters, while regulators are expected to scrutinize the deal over antitrust issues. Netflix has pledged to continue supporting theatrical releases, with Warner Bros.’ cinema commitments running through 2029.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed the agreement, saying it “combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love.”
Observers note that the acquisition comes 15 years after former Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes dismissed Netflix as “the Albanian army,” underscoring the dramatic shift in the entertainment landscape.
A major shake‑up rocks viewers and subscribers of DSTV/GOTV as many channels are set to shut down and be removed on January 1, 2026.
The trigger for the upcoming shut‑down is a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of multiple global channels and the pay‑TV operator.
As of December 2025, the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and DStv/GOtv has expired and the two parties have not reached a renewal agreement.
Without a new carriage/distribution agreement, the channels belonging to WBD risk being pulled off the DStv/GOtv line‑up.
This is the most significant content cutback the service has seen in years.
The affected channels are:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Cartoonito
Cartoon Network
CNN International
Food Network
The Travel Channel
TNT
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
HGTV
Discovery Family
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