Young female athletes in Kaduna have been charged to consider pursuing a career in the media profession, especially in sports journalism, in preparation for life after retirement from sports.
The call was made at a one-day seminar held at the Media Centre of the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on June 10th, titled ‘From the track to the newsroom: Building the next generation of Female Reporters’.
The convener of the event and Making of Champions’ Managing Editor, Yemi Galadima, emphasised the need to have more females in the media space who can highlight the many challenges being faced by females.
She said: “While it is great to build a career in sports, it is estimated that only less than 5% of athletes will compete professionally. Even the best athletes mostly have to retire while in their 30s, and need something to fall back on. And that’s why it’s important to get an education, so that you can consider going for a career in Sports Journalism or any other field of journalism, depending on the narrative you want to change.”
The guest speaker, Ruth Usoro, one of Nigeria’s top athletes who was a finalist in both the Long Jump and Triple Jump at the 2022 World Indoor Championships and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, shared with the girls how she developed an interest in becoming a media professional and charged them to make their voices heard.
Usoro who is currently running a Masters programme in Mass Communication and Media Studies in Texas Tech, said: “Women’s voices are powerful and with our voices we can bring a change. I want you all sitting here to know that your voice isn’t too small to be heard. You will be heard when there is consistency, diligence, determination and zeal. When we put ourselves out there, even in male-dominated fields, you can be part of the few women to start something, and then you can get other women involved.”
The seminar is part of Galadima’s activities under the Female Reporters Leadership Programme Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism as one of 12 female reporters selected for the fellowship in 2023.
