Abbas Yushau Yusuf
Baraka Bashir is a broadcast journalist with the Voice of America, she started her career four months after completing her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Delta State in the year 2009.
In an Interactive session with the Nigerian Tracker, Baraka Bashir says she joins Journalism Profession with Freedom Radio in the year 2008 and four days after completion of my Service I was employed by the station .
She says initially her dream was to become a lawyer but destiny took her to broadcasting industry and was employed as a staff of the first private radio station in Northern Nigeria, Freedom Radio.
She told Nigerian Tracker that she bagged her first degree in Nigerian Languages and has a Master degree in Public Relations, MPR.
Baraka’s passion for education led her to pursue another Postgraduate degree in Public Policy and Administration, MPPAN. She narrated to Nigerian Tracker how she was scolded by an Editor.
She said “when I started working as Broadcast Journalist in Freedom Radio, then I was very shy and could not cope with the demand of the profession. My scolding by an editor motivated me to do more and work harder”. She also says she vowed to make history since she was harassed by a superior of her inability to do anything.
Baraka added that unknown to her, whenever she went out for news coverage most of the stories she composed for airing were stories about environmental issues.
A senior colleague and veteran journalist, Malam Usman Usman, was then very keen in listening to Baraka’s reports. Malam Usman advised Baraka Bashir to create a special folder and be keeping her reports and do follow ups.
“Around the year 2009 to 2010, another person that influenced my report was the Assistant General Manager Engineering in Freedom Radio, Engineer Jamilu Dairu , Engineer Jamilu advised me also to open a blog where I will be keeping my stories, that was the beginning of my blog Baraka on Environment.”
Baraka says her successes continued manifesting, when in 2010 Deutsche Welle Radio organized an in-house training for staff, one of the trainers Mr Jan lubliski encouraged her when he learnt that as broadcast Journalist she owns a blog.
After lubliski left for Germany, an environmental conference of the United Nations would be held in South Africa and 10 journalists were to be sponsored from all over the world to cover the conference. Baraka was among the 10 journalists. She was the only one from Africa and was recommended by Jan lubliski.
“When I came back from south Africa I carried on with my reportage covering Agriculture, Health and Environment and have continued posting on my blogspot.”
Surfing the Net is very common among the youth but Baraka Bashir says she surfs the net for her own good , When she comes back from South Africa she saw another opportunity, that was honoring Nobel laureates in sciences .
The conference was slated in Oslo Norway and call for applications and 8 journalists were to cover the event from all over the world in 2012, Baraka was lucky to scale through the hurdles of applications, she also happened to be the only African selected to cover the event.
Again, another opportunity came for Baraka Bashir in the year 2013. That was an Exchange programme for Media Professionals in Ghana Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and the United States for one month.
The exchange programme was held for six weeks in the state of Oregon in the United States of America and they were opportune to work in a broadcast radio station, said Baraka Bashir.
Baraka’s fourth fellowship was sponsored in by Cambridge University of Bioscience for farming in Africa in the year 2014 for the inspection of cocoa and Rice farming.
Challenges
Baraka says despite the successes she recorded and with gratitude to Almighty Allah there are challenges a woman faced in Northern Nigeria.
She says those challenges are how people considered a woman as insane when she went out to work.
Apart from that as a woman journalist she used to be intimidated by colleagues and members of the community.
She said when she attended a conference in Oslo Norway a reknown Professor Adallah Uba Adamu decried how women who achieved a feat are not recognized in the North’
With all these successes recorded by Baraka she added that she is proud being a journalist because it’s a job that gives voice to the voiceless.
Her Saddest moments in life.
Baraka says her saddest moment in life was when her father passed away in the year 2002. Malam Bashir Zakari worked with the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria BCNN.
Baraka said she was shattered by her father’s death but thanked god destiny has made her to step into his shoes.
