'How I Won a $750 Story Grant to Report on Religious Extremism in Nigeria'— NACJ Vice President

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 'How I Won a $750 Story Grant to Report on Religious Extremism in Nigeria'— NACJ Vice President 

Abdulrasheed Hammad 

Biliaminu Manne reports,


Early yesterday, 3rd July 2023, Abdulrasheed Hammad, the Vice President of the National Association of Campus Journalists, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (NACJ, UDUS) took to his official Facebook page to give a detailed explanation on how he won $750 (USD) to write a report on Religious Extremism in Nigeria.


Recall that Gamji Press published an article that two of NACJ's executives Abdulwasiu Olokooba, President of NACJ, and Abdulrasheed Hammad, Vice President of NACJ had won a grant of $1500 (USD) to write religious extremism stories for the International Center For Journalists (ICFJ).


Hammad uncovered that in May 2023, he was privileged to go to Kano State for a fully funded three-day program on Investigating Religious Extremism in Nigeria, organized by International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ).


"On May 30th, 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to Kano State for a fully funded three-day training program on Investigating Religious Extremism in Nigeria. This training was organized by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ), a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., United States, dedicated to promoting journalism worldwide. The program was conducted in collaboration with Code for Africa, a non-profit organization focused on technology and data journalism, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya," he narrated.


During Training 


Hammad further expressed the various rigorous training sessions they undergo before and during the physical training sessions at Kano State, such as fact-checking and disinformation research, that aimed at combating information disorder in Africa and conducting investigations on platforms like Facebook and Twitter with the basic Intelligence tools to use in their investigation.


"During the training, we received training on fact-checking and disinformation research, aimed at combating information disorder in Africa. We also learned about conducting investigations on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, as well as utilizing various Open Source Intelligence tools such as Vortimo, Maltego, and Crowdtangle to do investigations. Furthermore, we were trained on how to cover religious extremism effectively as journalists.


"Before being selected for the physical training, we initially underwent a rigorous five-day intensive online training program. Following this, only a few applicants were shortlisted for the subsequent physical training," he added.


Hammad also wrote that as part of the fellowship, all participants were required to submit a story pitch relating to religious extremism. "I was thrilled to learn that my story pitch was one of the eleven selected, entitling me to a two-month facilitation grant.


"I am immensely grateful to ICFJ and Code for Africa for providing such valuable training, mentorship, and for recognizing the potential of my story idea by funding it. I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with them in bringing this story to fruition," he applauded the organization.

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