CJID to extend training to Olabisi Onabanjo University

A facilitator, Mrs. Busola Ajibola from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID, has said that its training will be extended to other schools including Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU. 

"We will bring the training to OOU soon. We have covered a lot of schools in Africa in our different projects. We may not be able to add OOU this year because of our schedule, " she said.

This was at the just concluded 4-day training on Conflict Reporting organized by CJID, Campus Reporter Project which took place in a conference hall at the Students Arcade of the Lagos State University, LASU Ojo campus from Wednesday, February 23 to Saturday, February 26, 2022. 

According to Mr. Deji Adekunle, a facilitator at the training, "CJID is a non-governmental organization whose aim is to promote a truly independent media landscape in West Africa. Its Campus Reporter Project aims to support Evidence-based multimedia and investigative journalism in Nigeria tertiary institutions." 

Other student journalists from various tertiary institutions including Ekiti State University, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Tai Solarin University of Education, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Ladoke Akintola University were present as the training was slashed with the National Association of Nigeria Campus Editors' Convention. The training commenced daily at 9 am and ended at 2 pm while the convention took place daily after the training with CJID sponsoring breakfast and lunch for participants; participants were given a certificate at the end of the training. 

The National Association of Nigeria Campus Editors also held an election to vote new executives into the organisation. A student and an editor of OOU Campus Mirror, Rahma Jimoh emerged as the General Secretary. The inauguration date for its new executives is yet to be announced. 

It was disclosed during a session of the training by Mrs. Busola, that the training held in LASU was the 10th of its kind under the Udeme project of which focus is to train student journalists on conflict sensitive reporting. "Although we've had up to 22 training in different Nigerian schools, it's our 10th training under the Udeme project which is focused on Conflict Reporting, " she said. 

Femke Van Zeijl, a facilitator said, "Journalists should research the root causes of conflicts, as the first victim of war is the truth." Student reporters were grouped into four after explaining with a diagram the root causes, trigger events, and consequences of conflicts. They were to investigate the root causes of the Shakanda/Pinni conflict which was the case study. 

Olaitan, a student with Unilag Press when asked about his takeaway from the training said, "I have learned a great deal from the training, from mode and manner of conducting interviews to steps to take in Fact-checking. Also, the diversity of the training has helped to shape my view of what the field is, beyond Campus Journalism." 

Similarly, Pelumi, a student with ACJ EKSU said, "I had detailed enlightenment of journalism in one plate. I got an interesting in-depth knowledge of conflict reporting as a side dish and a refreshing appetizer on facts checking." 

Temiloluwa, another student with Unilag press said, "I learned that the investigative journalist, like the detective, is, in the simplest meaning of the word, a scientist, trying to decipher and paint a whole, elaborate and accurate portrait of an event, or a series of events. 

"The profession requires extreme diligence, analytical sophistication, critical thinking, an understanding of human nature, conscientiousness, good social ability, awareness and presence, wide knowledge, imagination and curiosity, and many tangible/intangible tools of science; all because human stories are complex structures of facts, like molecules of chemical substances, connected, embedded in one or the other."