The Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP) is excited to announce the first cohort of its Media Product Fellowship. The nine fellows were selected from over 120 applications after careful consideration of their interest in media business development, past work, and their thesis on how the Nigerian media industry can evolve.
This four-month-long programme is designed to build the product-thinking, execution, and business development capacity of up-and-coming media practitioners as well as assist newsrooms on the road to sustainability by embedding these Fellows in their newsrooms.
The selected participants are:
- Abdullah Tijani is a journalist and freelance writer with a special interest in pro-freedom reporting, technology and climate change. He participated in the ICFJ-CFA “In the Name of Religion” Reporting Fellowship and the CJID-IWPR “Voice for Change Reporting” Fellowship.
He was a contributor at Young Voices, a Writing Fellow at African Liberty and a Free Market Revolution research fellow at Students For Liberty’s Global Campaign Fellowship. - Bamigboye Judah is a writer and journalist. A fervid reporter with a keen bias for unearthing entertainment stories through long-form narratives and commentary, Judah has written a column for TALE, a leading online romance magazine, PRESENT online newspapers and has had his work appear in Punocracy. He is presently an intern at Red Carpet Communications, where he captures the pulse of parties through vivid visuals and poetic scripts.
- Dorcas Motunrayo Taiwo asks questions full-time and tells stories on the side. Her primary focus is using quality data to craft narratives that drive impact and promote social change. Currently, she serves as the Product Manager for well-known media products like #WithChude and #ChudeExplains at Joy, Inc. Additionally, Dorcas runs the EntryLevel Podcast, a platform dedicated to providing answers to the numerous questions faced by entry-level professionals.
- Eunice Ayobami is a content writer, broadcaster and certified project management professional. A graduate of Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, she is presently a presenter at D’vine TV, an online platform along with being a freelance writer for several organizations. Ayobami’s articles have been published on the Media Career Development Network, Merchant Times, Golden Heritage Newspaper, The Eagle, Positive Naija, and others. She is an Audio Editor, with expertise in the usage of mobile devices, Word editing App/Software, and Photo Editing App. Ayobami is passionate about successful media project management which she writes about and advocates for.
- Ode Uduu is a data journalist and research analyst for Dataphyte in Nigeria. He specializes in using basic statistical tools to simplify large data and design data visualization for easy interpretation by broad audiences. Ode believes that data and analytical skills are not only a fundamental part of research, but can enhance journalism by making connections, providing insights and contextualizing events. He uses analytical skills to provide insight and data analysis in his articles.
- Oluremi Oyebiyi Agbejule holds an MSc in mass communication from Bowen University. His experience in the media space spans more than six years in Government House, Minna Niger state, and Ultimate FM radio station, Minna. He has practical presenting, producing and reporting skills in news writing, news gathering, news reporting and factual reporting.
- Ridhwan Adetutu Abdullahi is the former editor of Unilorin campus journalists. He served as investigative reporter with Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) and was a recipient of an African Liberty Writing Fellowship. His works have featured in a number of national dailies, including the Nigerian Vanguard newspaper, The Punch Newspaper, Modern Ghana, CampusReporters c/o Premium Times, and FIJ.. Ridhwan is a graduate of English and holds a National Diploma Certificate in Mass Communication. His interests are particularly in media development and practices, and rights advocacy.
- Yusuf Adua is an alumnus of Ekiti State University’s affiliate campus and graduated top of his class in the political science department in 2019. Driven by his passion for journalism and media practice, he pursued further education at TNM Media Academy, where he earned a proficiency certificate in broadcast journalism. A year later, he obtained another diploma in news gathering, news writing and investigative journalism. He was a 2022 Open Contract Reporting Project fellow sponsored by the Macarthur Foundation and previously served as the investigative head at AllNews Nigeria, chief reporter at News Live Nigeria and political reporter at VoiceofNaija.
- Zainab Oyiza Adetola is a multimedia journalist with experience in development and investigative reporting and fact-checking. She is the Managing Editor at Development News Nigeria and Associate Producer of the Weekend Show on Africa Independent Television, AIT, with interests in reporting gender, health and education.
In 2022, her story on the plight of female migrant returnees in Nigeria w the winning report of the International Organization of Migration Reporting Competition, Nigeria. She is a ConnexUs fellow, a recipient of the African Resilience Network grant to fact-check COVID-19 fake news, a Fellow of the prestigious Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and a 2021 awardee of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting. She is a 2021 Africa Solutions Journalism Fellow, focusing on the Climate and Gender solutions track.
These fellows will benefit from a mix of intense training and capacity building as well as mentoring during their internship.
NAMIP Cohort Nominees
NAMIP extended participation for the first two days of the fellowship to members of its existing newsroom cohort. The following were selected based on their interest in media products and the needs of their newsrooms.
- Tamilore Akinkuolie is a Business Development Executive and a producer at TV360Nigeria.
- Samira Usman Adam is a media professional with 6 years of practical experience. She is a broadcast journalist, freelance writer, voiceover artist, graphic designer and content creator.
- Oluwanifemi Olaifa, a graduate of Mass Communication from Osun State Polytechnic, currently works as Communication Officer at Women Radio 91.7. She creates and coordinates content for social media campaigns and organizations that aligns with brand standards.