CJID Trains 45 D.S Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic Students, Donates Resources to the Institution

In the 43rd campus journalism training since inception in 2017, the Next Gen/Campus Reporter project of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) trained 45 students at D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic. The four-day event, which took place from August 12 to August 15, was held at the Mass Communication Auditorium of the institution.

The training was officially declared open by Rauf Goke, the Rector of the institution. In his opening address, he expressed gratitude to the CJID team for accepting the invitation to train the students and urged the participants to pay close attention and apply what they learned in their journalism careers. 

“Both the CJID and this institution have invested a lot of effort into making this training happen. I urge you to pay attention so that in the next two, three years, you can show positive results”, Mr Goke said.

Yinka Adegbite, Head of the Department (HOD) of the Mass Communication Department, also delivered an opening speech in which he thanked the Rector for his unwavering support in securing accreditation for the Mass Communication Department. 

He also expressed his appreciation to the CJID team for the opportunity to participate in such a valuable program. Mr. Adegbite also congratulated the selected participants and encouraged them to remain committed to their career aspirations. 

Busola Ajibola, the Deputy Director of the Journalism Programme at CJID, congratulated the participants for being selected and urged them to engage fully in the training. Mrs Ajibola introduced the facilitators of the training, including herself, Mojeed Alabi, Head of the Development Desk at Premium Times; Kabir Adejumo, Head of Southern Operations, HumAngle; and Ibrahim Adeyemi, Deputy Investigations Editor, HumAngle.

Others were Iretomiwa Dele-Yusuff, Project Officer of the Campus Reporter project of CJID; Gbolahan Ogunsolu, Media Production Associate at CJID; Simbiat Bakare, Copy Editor at Dubawa and Asiat Jimoh, Communications Associate at CJID.

Mrs Ajibola explained that the training seeks to ensure that the students can compete with other contemporaries in the media space. She noted that most facilitators are beneficiaries of the Next Gen/Campus Reporter project and they now work in leading newsrooms and hold editorial positions in these organisations. 

On behalf of the CJID, she donated several publications to the institution’s library. The publications included several copies of the “Press Freedom Handbook, “The Impact of Climate Change on Female Farmers in Ghana and Nigeria”, and “Beyond Rhetoric and Ambition”, among several others.

The training featured interactive sessions covering various topics, including journalism ethics, basic news reporting, story idea generation, fact-checking, hyperlocal journalism, multimedia tools, gender-sensitive reporting, investigative journalism, storytelling, and TV/radio/podcast presentation. The participants also participated in several practical sessions including group writing projects where they spotlighted accountability issues in their immediate community

Participants, such as Olayiwola Adijat and Damilola Yakub, both ND1 students of the Mass Communication Department, expressed their enthusiasm, stating that the training has been a valuable starting point for their careers. Patience Omale, another participant, shared that she learned how to craft a compelling story, generate ideas, and navigate sources, and she looks forward to improving her writing skills.

Adebeso Precious described the training as a transformative experience, as it introduced her to various areas of journalism and helped her identify her area of specialisation. She added that it has enhanced her capacity and knowledge in the field.

“I have developed a deep interest in storytelling, all thanks to the CJID training,” said Abolade Oyeneye, another participant, who noted that the training deepened his understanding of journalism and its ethics.

At the closing ceremony, Mr. Yinka Adegbite thanked the CJID team for their efforts in making the training a success. He presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the team and the team in turn awarded certificates of participation to the participants to mark the completion of the four-day training.