How IBBU students are rebuilding campus journalism

For two days in early July, dozens of student journalists gathered at the ICT Centre at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Niger State, for a capacity-building workshop.

They learnt the fundamentals of news writing, investigative reporting, inclusive reporting, hyperlocal journalism, and digital storytelling through the Next Gen Campus Reporter Clinic, organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).

But beyond notebooks, presentations, and newsroom simulations, another story was unfolding quietly.

For many of the students, the training represented something bigger than learning how to write better stories. It marked the beginning of an effort to breathe life back into the university’s Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), a body whose activities had dwindled over the years despite a growing population of Mass Communication students.

“When I joined, there wasn’t much activity,” the UCJ president, Beauty Brendan, recalled.

“Most students focused on their academics, and the union wasn’t functioning the way it should.”

The UCJ IBBUL Chapter was created in 2020, with support from the National Union of Campus Journalists (NUCJ), then headed by Ibrahim Adeyemi. The then President of the Mass Communication Students’ Association (MACOSA), Yakubu Mohammed, invited NUCJ to conduct training and to launch UCJ on the campus.

The pioneer president of the UCJ was Zainab Abdullahi, said Mr Mohammed, now an investigative journalist with PREMIUM TIMES.

But the union has struggled to stay afloat since the first set of members left campus.

“All the presidents and vice presidents the union has had were appointed when they were in their penultimate years. This made continuity a problem, because the moment the top executives left, a vacuum set in, leaving their successors and members in some sort of confusion,” said Mr Mohammed.

Ms Brendan believes that inactivity of the UCJ has created an information vacuum on campus.

“We don’t have a reliable source of verified information,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re trying to revive the union.”

Why campus journalism matters

Her concerns are shared by the department’s Staff Adviser, Andrew Ngele, who argues that campus journalism is far more than a student extracurricular activity.

“A university is like a small city within a larger society,” Mr Ngele said. “The role journalism plays here is no different from the role it plays outside the campus.”

According to him, a vibrant campus journalism union creates a culture of transparency by allowing students to question decisions affecting their welfare and the university community.

Mr Yakubu, one of the patrons of the university’s UCJ, said he then advised the outgoing executives to use students in the first and second years as executives so they have more time to grow the association.

He said the patrons and lecturers continue to train them as they look out for successors either in 100 or 200 level.

“We adopted a catch-them-young approach,” he said.

“That strategy started with this current set, and honestly it has been working. They now have a Substack handle, social media accounts where they share news and other content.”

Referencing Section 22 of Nigeria’s Constitution, which assigns the press the responsibility of holding the government accountable, Mr Ngele said student journalists should see themselves as contributors to accountability within the university.

“If there are issues around infrastructure, student welfare, or the use of public resources, students should be able to ask questions,” he said. “Campus journalism creates that space.”

A new generation of student reporters

For students like Deborah Lukman, that message resonated immediately.

Ms Lukman had stumbled on the training after seeing a registration link shared on her departmental platform. Curious, she researched the programme and decided to apply.

“I’ve always wanted to become a journalist,” she said.

By the end of the two-day clinic, she said her understanding of the profession had changed completely.

“I thought investigative journalism was like what you see in movies,” she admitted with a laugh. “Now I understand there are ethical and professional ways of gathering information and uncovering stories.”

She already has several story ideas.

“I’m naturally curious,” she said. “I enjoy asking questions and helping people become aware of what’s happening around them. Journalism is not just about writing stories; it’s about serving the public interest.”

Challenges to reviving IBBUL UCJ

That curiosity, however, will need more than enthusiasm to survive.

Ms Brendan acknowledges that while students are willing to rebuild the UCJ, several obstacles stand in the way.

“The challenge isn’t that we don’t have ideas,” she explained. “We need stronger editorial skills, better equipment, and more support. Sometimes it’s even difficult getting members together because everyone is trying to balance academics with other responsibilities.”

These challenges reflect a broader concern within journalism education.

The President of the Mass Communication Students’ Association (MACOSA), Aminu Turaki, believes many students are attracted to journalism until they encounter the realities of the profession.

“Many students say they want to practise journalism,” Mr Turaki said. “But when they discover the amount of work involved in reporting, writing, editing, and verifying information, the enthusiasm begins to reduce.”

He noted that some students are drawn to the visibility associated with television and media personalities without appreciating the discipline that happens behind every published story.

To bridge that gap, the department has increasingly encouraged practical newsroom experience alongside classroom instruction, giving students opportunities to produce and publish stories while still in school.

“A vibrant UCJ gives students an independent platform to practise journalism before graduation,” he said.

Learning Journalism through practice

Mr Ngele believes those practical experiences are essential because journalism cannot be learnt solely from textbooks.

Students, he said, must learn to ask difficult questions, verify facts, and report responsibly, even when doing so feels uncomfortable.

“I understand why students may be afraid,” he said. “But intimidation is part of the profession. As long as your reporting is factual and motivated by public interest rather than malice, you should not be afraid to tell important stories.”

For the young reporters inside the ICT Centre, that lesson may prove to be the most enduring takeaway.

The clinic did more than teach inverted pyramids, interviewing techniques, or newsroom ethics. It challenged students to see journalism as a public service rather than merely a career path.

The beginning of a revival

By the close of the programme, conversations had shifted from note-taking to story ideas. Students were grouped into teams and were assigned to come up with story ideas on issues affecting their campus and the surrounding Lapai community.

Ms Brendan sees that renewed energy as the beginning of something bigger.

“If we continue applying what we’ve learnt here,” she said, “I believe UCJ can become a trusted platform for credible campus journalism.”

Whether that ambition materialises will depend on sustained mentorship, institutional support, and the determination of students willing to do the difficult work journalism demands.

But if the conversations inside IBBU’s ICT Centre are any indication, the revival of campus journalism has already begun, not with headlines, but with a generation of young reporters learning that the most important stories are often the ones closest to home.