In 2017, Abdulwaheed Sofiullahi secured admission to study English Education at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. As a young undergraduate, he had the vision to become a famous poet, not only on campus but also in Nigeria.
Now a graduate, Sofiullahi then decided to join the News Digest Press – one of the local press outlets on campus – to become a student journalist.
In 2019, he began the journey of his campus journalism with a decision to learn the art of writing.
“Ever since then,”he said, “I have started widening my journalistic skills and in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, I began writing for The Nation Newspaper under the campus beat platform.”
Sofiullahi finally picked up full interest in journalism in 2021 when he started writing for several national dailies in Nigeria including Daily Trust, HumAngle media, Ripples Nigeria, among others.
“I got my first employment in 2021 as a reporter for the News Direct. My editor didn’t even know that I was a student. I later resigned after a couple of months due to some reasons,”he said.
ASUU Strike: A blessing in disguise
On Monday, February 14, 2022, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the umbrella body of the teaching staff of Nigerian public universities, announced a ‘warning’ strike in yet another face-off with the Federal Government to press home their demands.
Hapless and helpless, the students became restless. But they had no handful of options than to return home. The strike pushed the students to yet again start pondering on their educational future, having also spent nine months at homes in 2020.
While many students prayed fervently for a headway in the battle between the Labour Union and the Federal government, students like Sofiullah hoped for the strike to linger more.
“After I resigned from News Direct, I secured another employment with Pulse during the ASUU strike.”
Sofiullahi said he got several opportunities to work with different media platforms during the strike.
“In fact, I was not that happy when the strike was called off because it served as an employment period for me, though I’m now a freelance journalist.”
Meanwhile, Statista – an online data company – has it that in the fourth quarter of 2020, over 33 percent of the labor force was unemployed. While this unemployment rate was projected to be 32.5 percent in 2021, 2022 was estimated to be of no difference from 2020.
Sadlp, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group(NESG), a private sector-led think-tank has projected that the country’s unemployment rate will hit 37 per cent in 2023.
The group said that due to weak performance in the job-elastic sectors, and low labor absorption of sectors that will drive growth, the nation’s population growth estimated at 3.2 percent will lead to a decline in real per capita income; noting that the Nigeria’s poverty headcount will also rise to 45 percent.
Just like Sofiullahi, Phillip Anjorin is another undergraduate who is relatively earning from campus extracurricular activities – journalism – and skills he has acquired.
The 400-level Mass Communication student at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, explained how campus journalism has offered him opportunities, enough to live above an ordinary undergraduate.
“At first, it was a platform for me to influence activity within the school premises, but along the line, it gave me the chance to use what I have done to bid for opportunities beyond the school premises,” Phillip told this reporter.
Continuing, he said through his decision to do something extra on campus, he “was able to gain experience, connection, I gained fellowship opportunities, grants, and employment opportunities.”
Phillip said he is currently working as an intern at Dubawa, a West African independent verification and fact-checking project, initiated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and supported by the most influential newsrooms.
Abdulwasiu Olookoba, a 500-level law student at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto is also another student journalist who is gainfully employed the campus journalism skills.
He stated that during the strike, he secured employment with Sahara Reporters_ one of the most famous media platforms in Nigeria.
“Alhamdulinlah, he said.” I have been able to sort my bills for myself with the campus journalism skills I acquired.”
Challenges in finding a balance
The journey is not all rosy. The student journalists in Nigerian campuses are often faced with one hurdle or another, particularly in juggling the extracurricular activity(campus journalism) with academic activities.
Ajibade Abdullah Adewale, a 400-level student of Linguistics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife said it’s very demanding to create a balance between journalism and his academic activities.
“Sometimes one will not be able to attend to some stories before it becomes stale as a result of rollover classes.”
Adewale, who currently works as an editor with Observersmag said the examination periods proved even to be the most unfavorable atmosphere in combining the two activities.
“Another challenge is that there are opportunities that I have missed because of academics. Some employers do not want them to be combined even as part time,” he added.
The importance of learning skills on campus
Expressing what extracurricular activities could do, Professor Jimoh Amzat, a lecturer at the Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said engaging in such activities complements what the students are being taught in the class.
For instance, communication and confidence-building which can be built in book or debate clubs, he said, could help students develop skills_just like the campus journalism skills_that are not taught in classrooms but essential in the labour market.
“Combining those activities and academic work produces well-rounded students and graduates. It helps to meet people beyond their department, thereby enhancing friendship and fellowship that could also be beneficial,” he said.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then