The Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID) has concluded its four-day training exercise for campus journalists and Mass Communication students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS).
The training, which is said to be part of its Campus Reporter project, empowered participants on evidence-based reporting, accountability journalism, and News editing from 16th to 19th of October, 2023.
Speaking with this reporter, the project officer of CJID, Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff, described the training exercise as an important initiative “to encourage Media sustainability and train journalists to carry out evidence-based reporting on campus.”
She explained that the receptiveness of the students and campus journalists who participated helped the CJID team to improve their skills and address the knowledge gap among participants.Â
“The campus journalism training at UDUS has been a great one, we want to actualize everything we plan to and even more there were several sessions to leap on to take, we were so in need to teach them due to the knowledge gap we found among participants.
“The participants are also quite receptive to the knowledge they got, and within the first day and last day we saw a lot of improvement in their positivity to join journalism on campus and it increased their courage to go forward, and their skills were improved in the four days. I believe it is a great initiative by the CJID to encourage Media sustainability and train journalists to carry out evidence-based reporting on campus,” she added.
While speaking with this reporter, Abdulwasiu Olokooba, who is the President of the National Association of Campus Journalists (NACJ), stated that hosting the training gave him a sense of fulfillment, describing it as a long-time dream that didn’t come to reality as a result of some hitches in the past.
“I am very grateful to God and very glad that this happened during my time on campus and not only that, during my administration and even the reason CJID visited UDUS and trained over 51 campus journalists in my school. So, I feel very blessed despite all the challenges because I’ll tell you, we faced a lot of challenges. But despite the challenges, this training later becomes a success,” he said  Â
Abdulwasiu, however, advised participants to ensure the knowledge acquired through the training is put into practice as their stepping stone to a great career. He added that failure to utilise the knowledge properly will amount to a waste of time by participants, likewise resources invested by both the CJID and NACJ.
Tasi’u Aminu, a 200-level student of Agriculture and one of the participants who spoke with Tribune CampusXtra, described the training as insightful and a golden opportunity for him.
Mr Aminu said, “Source mapping is one of the very important things I have learned and the overall journalism as a profession. How to use the instrumentality of journalism to hold power accountable.”
Another participant, Abdul, Khadijat Sewedo, explained that beyond journalism, the training was impactful and helped her learn more about life. “We had the best trainers and I really admire their teaching methods. I learned a lot of things, I learned things that relate to life and society, not just Journalism,” she stated.
Also, Aisha Kamaldeen Temilolu, a Mass Communication student, said “The training program was designed to be both educational and engaging, providing a structured and well-organized learning experience. The facilitators were not only knowledgeable and experienced but also passionate and enthusiastic about the subject matter.
“This made the training both informative and enjoyable, as it felt like a journey of exploration and discovery. I left the training feeling enlightened and enriched, with a deeper understanding of the concepts covered. It was an incredibly positive and worthwhile experience.”
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