US-Based Outlet Appoints UDUS Campus Journalist as West Africa Editor

A United State based Media Outlet, International Policy Digest (IPD), has appointed Mohammad Taoheed, a UDUS campus journalist, as West Africa editor on Friday, 7 April 2023. Taoheed, until his appointment with IPD, he is a news editor for PEN PRESS — a campus pressboard at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS).

Mohammed Taoheed is a freelance journalist based in northwest Nigeria, where he studies Law at UDUS. He is interested in development, conflict, politics, and social justice. He made the appointment known via his social media handles, where friends and well-wishers congratulated him. International Policy Digest is a US-based media outlet that was launched in 2011, and it aims to provide an “inside track to global conversation” and work on issues around key policies by giving voice to writers, especially from marginalized zones.

In an interview with Taoheed, he expressed gladness over the new appointment. He noted that “this new role walks in as a surprise. I wasn’t expecting something that big at all. So, when the Editor-in-Chief, John Lyman, made the announcement in the masthead, I burst into tears. Well, it’s a cry of joy.”

“Afterwards, I felt so happy because it will not only be an avenue to widen my horizon in the media space but also to help budding writers like myself that are springing up from West Africa.”

To Taoheed, the appointment is a blessing and would give him strong recognition in the media. He added that “this role will make some other media outlets that I would reach out – because I’m still chasing my freelance career – to give a kind of attention to my ideas, I reckon. And it will help me in posterity greatly when I am looking for any better offer.”

‘It’s a Challenging Role’ — Says Taoheed 

Taoheed explained that the editor role is a challenge for him, and he strives for greater heights in journalism mainstream. 

“It’s a development that I welcome. Considering the fact that I’m still in school, it might be onerous, but I will try my best. I won’t relent or give up no matter what,” he told Campus Reporter. 

Taoheed advised young journalists to develop themselves in writing and should not chase money first. 

“It is achievable by reading. They should read, read, read and write, write, and money will come. Consistency remains the key,” he stated.

He dedicated this new role to Mr Fisayo Soyombo, who he qualified as the Nigerian daredevil investigative journalist and brain behind Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). He said that Mr Soyombo’s works had been the muse that propelled him to do more.

“I can’t be ungrateful to the source that made me – I mean our own Pen Press UDUS and the NACJ UDUS, they contributed to this feat,” said Taoheed.

Abdulrasheed Akere

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