A four-month mentorship programme equipping university students in Nigeria’s North Central region to use journalism to advance social accountability, tackle misinformation, and strengthen social cohesion.
Fill in the formStudents learn the principles and theories of journalism, but chances to practise them with editorial guidance and real newsroom experience are limited. This programme exists to close that distance.
Training is paired with mentorship from experienced journalists and media practitioners, so you can develop ideas, get editorial feedback and strengthen your reporting. Select a module to explore it.
Your mentors bring newsroom, editorial, investigative, communications and production experience. Filter by area to see who leads where.
Joey Shekwonuzhibo is a new media strategist, journalist, and founder of Joey Off-Air, a media platform focused on underreported stories from Plateau State and Central Nigeria. His work centres on community storytelling and multimedia journalism.
Johnstone Kpilaakaa is a journalist and Standards Editor at HumAngle, where he works on reporting about conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises. His expertise includes editorial standards, journalism ethics, conflict-sensitive reporting, and public-interest storytelling. He is pursuing an MSc in Social and Behaviour Change Communication at the American University of Nigeria.
Nankpak Cirfat is a Nigerian communications professional with experience in public relations, governance, and development. He is a Communications Associate (Media Relations) at Connected Development and holds master’s degrees in Public Administration and Public Relations. His interests include public communication, policy engagement, and accountability.
Nanji Nandang is a Nigerian investigative journalist with experience covering human rights, gender inequality, and governance. She works at the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and leads the Foundation for Gender Rights Reporting and Innovation. Her work includes fact-checking and reporting on sexual and gender-based violence.
Ajifa Solomon is a Nigerian journalist whose work focuses on human-interest stories, social justice, and community development. Her reporting highlights public-interest issues and the experiences of underrepresented communities. She graduated with first-class honours in Mass Communication from the University of Jos.
Samuel Ojo is a Nigerian media producer and Media Production Director at SAMFREN OJO MEDIA, a production company he founded in 2022. He specialises in visual storytelling and multimedia production, working with NGOs, international organisations, and brands to create compelling content that communicates stories with clarity and authenticity.
Click each stage to see what happens along the way.
Participants pitch stories on issues within their own communities. Pick a theme to see the kind of questions a strong pitch might start with.
These are illustrative idea starters, not programme requirements or topics already assigned.
Hands-on experience finding, reporting and producing community-centred stories.
A stronger grasp of verification, fairness, accuracy and conflict-sensitive practice.
The assurance to look into issues of public interest in your own community.
Opportunities to publish through Joey Off-Air.
Work samples that support your move into newsrooms, fellowships and grants.
Evidence-based reporting that promotes accountability and informed, cohesive communities.
Tap the button to open the participant form. It opens in a new tab.
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