Ogunmakinwa Faith Odunayo, a final-year pharmacy student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), has been crowned the overall winner of the Shalina Young Talent Award (SHYTA) 2026. His victory at the grand finale in Lagos followed a flawless campaign across three stages of the national competition, confirming his status as the brightest pharmacy student in the country.
Faith’s journey to the top began at the faculty level, where he outperformed his peers in a preliminary round of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and a presentation, emerging as the only representative for OAU.
The competition then moved to a national semi-final conducted online. Out of 20 representatives from across Nigeria, Faith secured the number one spot, scoring 96% in a high-pressure psychometric test that required answering 23 questions in just five minutes.
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The grand finale on the 10th of February consisted of two decisive rounds: a debate and a ‘rapid-fire’ quiz. While many found the pressure of the live audience daunting, Faith remained composed. He noted that the quiz was the most challenging segment, requiring quick reasoning and even quicker reflexes.
When the final results were announced, Faith’s reaction was one of calmness and confidence. ‘I was expecting the announcement, considering I would performed very well,’ he said. ‘My first thought was not that of surprise, it was just, ‘nice, I won.’’ His first call was to his mother, who shared in the joy of his achievement.
Faith credits the rigorous environment at OAU for his success. He specifically cited the Pharmaceutical Microbiology department for honing his ability to handle rapid-fire MCQs and the Department of Clinical Pharmacy for building his public speaking skills. Interestingly, Faith revealed he did not have a strict study routine for the award. Instead, he relied on years of residual knowledge.
‘This competition is not like school exams where you can cram the night before,’ he explained. ‘It is a culmination of years of learning; you either know it inherently or you do not.’
Despite his mastery of the subject, Faith is exploring a different career path. While he has a keen interest in Drug Development and Design, he admits that traditional pharmacy practice is not his primary goal.
According to him, if he does remain in the profession, his heart is set on being in academia. If so, he plans to pursue a Master’s and a PhD to help improve the standard of training for the next generation of pharmacists. Alternatively, he intends to focus on building his YouTube platform.
In a word of advice to fellow students, the 2026 champion, Ogunmakinwa Faith, urged them to look far beyond their stay in school. ‘There is more to learning than getting good grades,’ Faith said. “Getting those grades should be secondary; the search for knowledge and understanding should be primary.”
With his victory, Faith Ogunmakinwa has not only brought pride to “Great Ife” but has also set a high standard for academic excellence in Nigeria.
About the Shalina Young Talent Award (SHYTA)
The Shalina Young Talent Award (SYTA), often hailed as the ‘biggest hunt for the best pharmacy brains in Nigeria,’ is a national flagship initiative by Shalina Healthcare. Launched in 2018, the competition aims to bridge the gap between academic theory and professional practice by identifying excellence in final-year pharmacy students.
Now in its seventh season (7.0), the 2026 edition saw participation from over 25 universities across Nigeria. The competition is structured in three phases, which are the Faculty Qualifiers, Semi-Finals, and Grand Finale, and was designed to test the limits of the students’ knowledge.