Village Beauty With Sakeenah Kareem

By Ibn Yahweh

Sakeenah Kareem is a first year undergraduate of the department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan. She’s a Campus journalist and content marketer.

Sakeenah Kareem

ZHPO: Hello to you Sakeenah and you’re welcome to the Village Beauty – a segment of the Zik Hall Press publication focused on interviewing beauty and brains on the University of Ibadan campus. Can you introduce yourself to readers please?

Sakeenah: I’m Sakeenah Kareem. A 100 level student of Communication and language Arts. I’m a Creative writer, Campus journalist and Content marketer.

ZHPO: A 100 level student! Interesting. So how’s been the experience as a fresher?

Sakeenah: Having had a lot of holidays before finally resuming, I can say school is interesting. Well, I can’t omit the pressure that comes with UI but schooling is both tiring and fun.

ZHPO: “Tiring and fun.” I love that. So you stated you’re a Campus Journalist. If I may ask, what attracted you to Journalism?

Sakeenah: I detest cheating, injustice, oppression, and trampling on human rights. As a Communications student, I detest miscommunication and dissemination of fake news and information. Journalism is a platform to correct these anomalies and lend a voice to myself and people.

ZHPO: This is interesting. Journalism, for you, is to correct the rot in justice delivery, combat oppression and the flagrant abuse of human rights. So we should expect another Dele Giwa and Stanley Macebuh, say next five years?

Sakeenah: Well, if you say so.

ZHPO: You stated you’re a content marketer. How do you combine out-of-class activities with your academics?

Sakeenah: I plan. I schedule all the things I do so that they don’t overlap. I also prioritize my activities as need be.

ZHPO: Planning and prioritizing. So what’s your typical day in UI like?

Sakeenah: Well, let me say that my weekdays are majorly for UI both academic and extracurricular activities while my weekends are for me.

ZHPO: This is topnotch. You get to rest and fuel yourself on weekends. Great!

Sakeenah: Yeah, and I have time to work on my out of class jobs/activities.

ZHPO: On Journalism, how has it helped you? Do you think Campus journalism prepares students for the rigours of mainstream journalism? How do you think Campus journalism can be improved?

Sakeenah: Journalism helps me to give my voice and my ink an identity. I can say that Campus journalism is a foundational level for mainstream journalism. To a large extent, it contributes to the growth of every journalist.

ZHPO: Hmmmm… So students who’ve had the experience on campus wouldn’t struggle in the mainstream media?

Sakeenah: Who says they won’t struggle? Is that possible? They will, but then going to a jungle armed with a torchlight is quite different from going empty-handed and empty-headed.

ZHPO: Interesting perspective. On the elections; has bad journalism, propaganda, and unverified news contributed to the state of elections? What’s your perception of the elections – state and federal?

Sakeenah: It’s quite obvious that fake news highly fuelled the election haywire on social media. For me, I don’t think it’s bad journalism. There’re quack journalists but that doesn’t overshadow the efforts of good journalists and INEC plunged into the elections.

ZHPO: Coming to Zik hall now. People have said a lot about Nnamdi Azikwe Hall (Baluba kingdom). What’s your view of UI’s greatest hall of residence?

Sakeenah: My view? Zik is razz.

ZHPO: Razz? Why do you think so?

Sakeenah: I’d rather not say before you come for me (laughs).

ZHPO: (laughs) No one’s coming for you. Do you think Zikites are great men, considering their rough living?

Sakeenah: Well, Robert Schuller said, “Tough times don’t last but tough people do.”  So I guess they’re.

ZHPO: Great! So what do have to say to Uites, freshers, and Zikites?

Sakeenah: Do not just pass through school, let the school pass through you. It’s not only about first class honours, but also about the fulfillment you derive from doing the things you do.

ZHPO: We should learn at every opportunity. This signals the end of our interview. Thank you so much Miss Sakeenah. It’s an honour to have you on our discourse.

Sakeenah: Thank you for having me. I’m glad.