*Photo:Amina Omoike*
Looking back on my career journey, I remember how it all began with an internship. As a child, I dreamt of being a medical doctor; but years later, I found myself studying Mass Communication.
My first internship experience was SIWES and I was posted to MITV. Armed with my SIWES letter, I got to MITV office in Alausa and saw about 20 other young people like me all trying to get placement. A member of staff came out and announced that there was no space for IT students. Deflated, I left MITV and heard from another classmate that a placement in any media house would suffice for the signing of the logbook. So, I got back home and told my mum about my unsuccessful ‘jobhunting’ experience. She told me she used to know someone in The Guardian newspaper, but mentioned that he had started another paper, The Comet.
The next day, she gave me a letter to the MD, Mr Lade Bonuola and sent me on my way. I located the head office of The Comet in Ijora, saw Mr Bonuola. He sent me to the EIC, Mr Femi Kusa, who in turn sent me to the news editor, Mr Bayo Oguntimehin.
I was ‘thrown’ into the newsroom (which I soon fell in love with) and moved from desk to desk. Starting out at the monitoring desk, I learnt to monitor the news from the electronic media, transcribing and capturing the headlines. That was the period when 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was stabbed in London and Kabila died.
I attended AGMs, product launches, press conferences, lectures. When any of the correspondents were busy with other functions or production, they sent me and I had to attend. I remember getting my first solo byline from one of the AGMs – Vitafoam Plc. I still remember the headline – ‘Vitafoam sounds vital note’. My mum bought like 30 copies of that particular edition and was sharing to everyone she knew 😂.
I ‘chased’ copies (in an era where not many people could type proficiently on the computers so journalists would have to write their stories on offcut and send to the typesetters). I followed up on production, sitting with typesetters and page planners.
At a point, there was a problem with the machine where agency news came from so I was the one designated to go to the NAN office in Iganmu to physically copy the news. I would take a floppy disk and leave for the NAN office at about 1pm everyday except Saturday. There, I will gather as much news as I can, save it and go back to the Comet newsroom.
By 4pm, the news desk would be waiting for ‘Amina the IT girl’ to bring the news🤣. In fact, by the time I was done with my first IT, the NAN officials then (Mr Ajudua and Mr Mbanaso) held a mini send forth for me! God bless them wherever they are.
In 2002, I returned to Comet for my one-year internship. I was now assigned to the Saturday desk to work with late Margaret Mike-Pearse. She handled seven lifestyle pages every week covering weddings, cuisine, personality interviews, etc. Immediately I introduced myself as the intern assigned to her, she said ‘Good. You need to learn fast because I am resigning at the end of the month’. She wanted to pursue her other interests, but she would still maintain a column in the Saturday paper. Like joke, like joke, ‘Amina the IT girl’ now had to fill seven pages every week.
One of the things I enjoyed in my journalism career was the gift of daring teachers. Every editor I worked with pushed me out of my comfort zone. I started having to attend parties. I started having to walk up to people and say ‘Good afternoon, Sir / Ma. My name is Amina Brai and I write for The Comet newspaper. I would like to interview you’; because I had to deliver a great 2-page interview every Saturday. I started meeting people – I would go to their offices. I would go to their houses. Then I started enjoying it and gaining more and more confidence.
Even after I returned to school, I started spending every semester break interning at the Comet. I was a ready and available hand always, so my then editor gave me a page to work with. Naturally, by the time I graduated from Unizik, I had a job waiting for me and the rest, they say, is history.
So, after spending all of 18 years or so succesfully in journalism (as a student intern, a graduate intern and an actual journalist), I moved to PR. Seven years ago, I remember when I was interviewed by current boss, John E. Ehiguese , he said ‘I saw your CV and I was quite impressed because this is what we need right now’. I muttered silent thanks to God for all my experiences in the media.
My internship gave me a line on my CV, in addition to real-world exposure, mentors who guided me (Kayode Idowu, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Cos Nnadi, Bolaji Tunji, Lekan Otufodunrin, and numerous others) and the confidence to grow in a competitive industry.
Internships are not just about sitting in an office. It goes beyond just spending all the time on your phone. They are a bridge between classroom knowledge and professional practice. They teach resilience, adaptability, and the unspoken rules of the workplace. Most importantly, they can open doors you never imagined possible, like they did for me.
As a Senior Media Manager today, I can confidently say that internships are investments, both for the intern and the organisation. Companies gain new perspectives and fresh ideas, while young professionals gain priceless experiences.
To students and early-career professionals, take internships seriously. Do not take for granted the opportunity to learn outside the classroom. Learn everything you can learn, even if you think you don’t need it now. You would actually be surprised where those learnings will be needed in the future. Ask questions, be inquisitive, be enthusiastic!
To organisations, do create meaningful internship opportunities. You might just be shaping the next leader in your field.
PS. This was me in 2018 managing a press conference during the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) conference held in Abuja.
Looking back on my career journey, I remember how it all began with an internship. As a child, I dreamt of being a medical doctor; but years later, I found myself studying Mass Communication.
My first internship experience was SIWES and I was posted to MITV. Armed with my SIWES letter, I got to MITV office in Alausa and saw about 20 other young people like me all trying to get placement. A member of staff came out and announced that there was no space for IT students. Deflated, I left MITV and heard from another classmate that a placement in any media house would suffice for the signing of the logbook. So, I got back home and told my mum about my unsuccessful ‘jobhunting’ experience. She told me she used to know someone in The Guardian newspaper, but mentioned that he had started another paper, The Comet.
The next day, she gave me a letter to the MD, Mr Lade Bonuola and sent me on my way. I located the head office of The Comet in Ijora, saw Mr Bonuola. He sent me to the EIC, Mr Femi Kusa, who in turn sent me to the news editor, Mr Bayo Oguntimehin.
I was ‘thrown’ into the newsroom (which I soon fell in love with) and moved from desk to desk. Starting out at the monitoring desk, I learnt to monitor the news from the electronic media, transcribing and capturing the headlines. That was the period when 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was stabbed in London and Kabila died.
I attended AGMs, product launches, press conferences, lectures. When any of the correspondents were busy with other functions or production, they sent me and I had to attend. I remember getting my first solo byline from one of the AGMs – Vitafoam Plc. I still remember the headline – ‘Vitafoam sounds vital note’. My mum bought like 30 copies of that particular edition and was sharing to everyone she knew 😂.
I ‘chased’ copies (in an era where not many people could type proficiently on the computers so journalists would have to write their stories on offcut and send to the typesetters). I followed up on production, sitting with typesetters and page planners.
At a point, there was a problem with the machine where agency news came from so I was the one designated to go to the NAN office in Iganmu to physically copy the news. I would take a floppy disk and leave for the NAN office at about 1pm everyday except Saturday. There, I will gather as much news as I can, save it and go back to the Comet newsroom.
By 4pm, the news desk would be waiting for ‘Amina the IT girl’ to bring the news🤣. In fact, by the time I was done with my first IT, the NAN officials then (Mr Ajudua and Mr Mbanaso) held a mini send forth for me! God bless them wherever they are.
In 2002, I returned to Comet for my one-year internship. I was now assigned to the Saturday desk to work with late Margaret Mike-Pearse. She handled seven lifestyle pages every week covering weddings, cuisine, personality interviews, etc. Immediately I introduced myself as the intern assigned to her, she said ‘Good. You need to learn fast because I am resigning at the end of the month’. She wanted to pursue her other interests, but she would still maintain a column in the Saturday paper. Like joke, like joke, ‘Amina the IT girl’ now had to fill seven pages every week.
One of the things I enjoyed in my journalism career was the gift of daring teachers. Every editor I worked with pushed me out of my comfort zone. I started having to attend parties. I started having to walk up to people and say ‘Good afternoon, Sir / Ma. My name is Amina Brai and I write for The Comet newspaper. I would like to interview you’; because I had to deliver a great 2-page interview every Saturday. I started meeting people – I would go to their offices. I would go to their houses. Then I started enjoying it and gaining more and more confidence.
Even after I returned to school, I started spending every semester break interning at the Comet. I was a ready and available hand always, so my then editor gave me a page to work with. Naturally, by the time I graduated from Unizik, I had a job waiting for me and the rest, they say, is history.
So, after spending all of 18 years or so succesfully in journalism (as a student intern, a graduate intern and an actual journalist), I moved to PR. Seven years ago, I remember when I was interviewed by current boss, John E. Ehiguese , he said ‘I saw your CV and I was quite impressed because this is what we need right now’. I muttered silent thanks to God for all my experiences in the media.
My internship gave me a line on my CV, in addition to real-world exposure, mentors who guided me (Kayode Idowu, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Cos Nnadi, Bolaji Tunji, Lekan Otufodunrin, and numerous others) and the confidence to grow in a competitive industry.
Internships are not just about sitting in an office. It goes beyond just spending all the time on your phone. They are a bridge between classroom knowledge and professional practice. They teach resilience, adaptability, and the unspoken rules of the workplace. Most importantly, they can open doors you never imagined possible, like they did for me.
As a Senior Media Manager today, I can confidently say that internships are investments, both for the intern and the organisation. Companies gain new perspectives and fresh ideas, while young professionals gain priceless experiences.
To students and early-career professionals, take internships seriously. Do not take for granted the opportunity to learn outside the classroom. Learn everything you can learn, even if you think you don’t need it now. You would actually be surprised where those learnings will be needed in the future. Ask questions, be inquisitive, be enthusiastic!
To organisations, do create meaningful internship opportunities. You might just be shaping the next leader in your field.
PS. This was me in 2018 managing a press conference during the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) conference held in Abuja.