Abdulrahman Adebayo
The Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, PTCIJ, has completed a 4-day campus journalism training for selected members of the Union of Campus Journalists, University of Ibadan. During the training, which lasted for five hours daily, attendees were trained on various aspects of journalism ranging from conflict reporting and fact-checking to data journalism and gender perspectives in reporting.
The facilitators, who took different classes during the training, are Netherlands-born award-winning journalist, Femke Van Zeijl; seasoned media trainer and researcher, Deji Adekunle and PTCIJ’s Programme Manager and gender advocate, Busola Ajibola.
Speaking on the last day of the training, Busola, who is the head of PTCIJ’s Next Gen Reporting Programme, Campus Reporter, urged student journalists in the institution to be deliberate about writing impact-driven reports both within the institution and beyond. She also charged attendees to follow the path of outstanding Nigerian journalists like Kunle Adebajo, Yusuf Akinpelu, Alao Abiodun and a host of others trained by the organisation while they were still students of the institution.
Speaking with IndyPress after the programme, one of the attendees, Abdulkabir Tijani, described the training as an insightful one that has armed him with an in-depth understanding of various aspects of journalism.
“The training was a very insightful one. More in-depth understanding of some aspects of Journalism and also serves as an enabler to many other realities that matter in this profession,” Kabir said.
He also expressed gratitude to the organization for finding campus journalists in the institution worthy of the training. “I am glad it’s happening at this very point in time and in the coming days, I am going to be taking my practice of Journalism to the next level,” he added confidently.
Another attendee who spoke with this reporter, Tolulope Ayeye, echoed Kabir’s remarks about the training. She explained that it was insightful in a unique way.
“The PTCIJ TRAINING was one of a kind. It was insightful and eye opening. There was a lot to be learnt and I learnt a lot.”
She added that the very engaging style used by the trainers also made it easier for her to understand the various aspects of journalism discussed during the training.
