Next-Gen Intern’s Diary: Reporting Nigeria’s Changing Realities By Habibat Muhammad Sani

By Habibat Muhammad Sani

August was another busy month in my Next Gen Internship at Ideko Africa. With each passing month, I have become more involved in the newsroom and more comfortable with the different demands that come with being a reporter. Alongside my feature stories, I continued filing daily news reports and following major happenings across Nigeria.

The month also came with several trainings at Ideko Africa. These sessions helped me improve different parts of my reporting, from finding stronger angles to developing stories and presenting information clearly. I have also learned to pay more attention to the background of a story and why an issue matters, rather than simply reporting what happened.

One of the stories I worked on this month was about Meta’s new child safety measures and the renewed calls for wider regulation of social media platforms. The story examined the company’s proposed restrictions on children’s use of Instagram and Facebook, as well as the wider concerns surrounding young people’s exposure to social media. 

This story allowed me to examine the bigger question of whether individual platforms can adequately protect children when young people use several social media platforms at the same time. It also made me think about the need for stricter and more consistent rules around online safety.

Another major story I worked on looked at President Bola Tinubu’s 90-day deadline for Nigeria’s security and intelligence chiefs to produce a national threat assessment and a five-year security strategy.

Rather than focusing only on the announcement, I looked at what the proposed plan could mean for Nigeria’s response to insecurity. With kidnapping, banditry and insurgency continuing to affect communities, the report examined whether the new approach could improve intelligence sharing, coordination and the use of security resources, and whether it could help curb the insecurity that has continued despite previous strategies.

The story made me think more about the difference between announcing a policy and actually seeing its impact. A plan can look promising on paper, but its real success depends on how well it is implemented.

I also reported on the rising price of cement and what it means for Nigerians trying to build homes. With a 50kg bag of cement selling for as much as ₦15,000 in some markets, the story explored how rising construction costs are making homeownership increasingly difficult.

One of the stories I particularly enjoyed working on was a feature on student leadership and political participation, titled From Apathy to Action: How a Fellowship Is Reshaping Student Leadership in Nigeria. The story focused on how a fellowship is encouraging young people, particularly students, to become more involved in leadership and civic participation.

Throughout August, I also continued with the regular work of the newsroom. I filed daily reports, followed breaking developments, a nd worked on stories across different areas, including politics, security, society, and the economy. Moving between different topics has helped me become more flexible as a reporter and has improved my ability to quickly understand new issues.

The trainings at Ideko Africa have also remained an important part of my experience. Every session has challenged me to think differently about my work and has shown me areas where I can still improve. I have become more conscious of the need to ask better questions, provide context, and make sure that the people affected by an issue are not lost in the story.

As the internship ends, I am grateful for the opportunity to keep learning, reporting,g and growing.