These child broadcasters are reimagining Nigeria’s conflict zones
- In Borno, a region marked by years of insurgency, a groundbreaking child-led radio program is helping young survivors reclaim their voices, challenge policymakers, and chart a new future for Nigeria’s forgotten children.
Image Description: A glowing golden radio sits on a stack of books in the center of a destroyed darkened classroom, and bright yellow soundwaves ripple outward from the radio.
On a humid Saturday evening of August 6, 2022 in Maiduguri, 15-year-old Safiyya Ajikolo walks with unshaken confidence into the studio of Al-Ansar FM. She greets the adults in the hallway with ease; her steps rehearsed, her purpose certain. This is her space now. She heads straight for the recording studio where she and her fellow young co-hosts of the Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi radio programme will soon go live, interviewing the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo. Tonight’s show will focus on a topic that hits painfully close: the rehabilitation and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed groups.
“I joined the radio program because I wanted to be part of change,” Ajikolo later says, “to help build a brighter future for children where their voices are heard, valued, and able to thrive because children are a blessing to society.”
Launched in 2022, Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi, which loosely translates to “a crawling child on the rise,” was envisioned as more than just a radio show. It was designed as a lifeline. Supported by Goal Prime International and UNICEF, and produced in the heart of conflict-ridden Borno State, the programme became Nigeria’s first live, child-led radio show broadcasting directly from the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency.
“In the beginning, I never imagined myself on a radio talk show,” Ajikolo says. She recalls growing up in Maiduguri hearing bomb blasts and gun rattles.
Since 2009, the Boko Haram conflict has ravaged Northeast Nigeria, with Borno State at its core. According to UNICEF, over 430,000 children in the region have been denied education in the last decade due to violence and displacement.
“One of the major challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation is insecurity,” explains Said Saad Abubakar, the programme director. “We created this platform to begin public conversations about children, and to build their capacity to become what star youths should look like.”
The show focuses on issues disrupting childhood development in conflict zones: access to food and water, safety, education, child protection, and the mental health impact of war. Every Saturday, children once defined by displacement or insurgency take the microphone and tell their stories.
“In Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi, we mostly discussed issues affecting children that disrupt their growth,” says Ajikolo. “It’s about helping them find security and access to education so they can heal and thrive.”
Becoming “star anchors”
Participation starts with a public call for applications. Hopefuls are screened and interviewed, assessed for creativity, passion, and confidence. Those selected become “star anchors,” receiving mentorship in radio production, live broadcasting, and public engagement.
“These children go live on air every week to interview policymakers about issues affecting young people,” says Saad. “We’ve trained dozens of children. Many now speak publicly with fluency and purpose. That is a huge success.”
Ajikolo has since interviewed dignitaries like Hajiya Gambo and Phoung Nguyen of UNICEF. “It was a very nice experience meeting these dignitaries as I had never met one before,” she says. “I also had the experience of working with fellow children to bring change to our society.”
What makes Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi revolutionary is not just that it is child-led – it is child-inclusive. Children of all backgrounds, ethnicities, and abilities participate. Bakura Muhammad, 17, a visually impaired student, was once reluctant to join.
“I couldn’t speak English fluently,” Muhammad says. “I felt I wasn’t fit for the program. But running my hands over white braille papers and speaking into that mic changed everything.”
Through the show, Muhammad not only improved his English but also developed advocacy and communication skills. “Before, I could not speak in public. Now I can, though I still get nervous at times,” he says. He now uses the platform to speak about challenges faced by children with disabilities, especially around education and inclusion.
The reach of Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi extends beyond the airwaves. Isabella Ibrahim, another pioneer star anchor of the programme, tells Minority Africa that “it has impacted me so much as I see myself as an agent of change and meaningful development in Borno, Nigeria and the world at large.”
The experiences in the six-month program have been engaging, enlightening and very educational, explains Ibrahim.
“Discussing topics that mostly border on development of the child through education has made me a better person as I see myself capable of attaining any heights in life with the right environment and support,” says Ibrahim.
For Ajikolo, the experience became a catalyst. In 2024, she ran for office and was elected to represent Jere constituency in the 5th Borno State Children’s Parliament. “It was a stepping stone toward my goal of making communities safer for children,” she says.
Her mother, Yakaka Shettima Mustafa, noticed a shift. “She has improved in her interactions with people, and her confidence has boosted,” Shettima says. “She now constantly talks about children that need help.”
“The children-led live radio programme is very important,” says Lekan Otufodunrin, Executive Director of the Media Career Development Network. “It gives children a chance to share how they’re coping. Even parents and authorities learn from them.”
He sees programmes like Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi as agenda-setters: “They help us understand what policies need to be made, how to protect children, and how to maintain their sanity despite the conflict.”
Yet despite its success, the programme remains confined to Borno State, a limitation in the face of expanding insecurity across Nigeria’s northern regions.
Today, Ajikolo speaks with the ease of a seasoned broadcaster. “This programme helped me develop public speaking and communication skills. It changed how I see the world,” she says.
But her ambition is no longer just about being behind the mic. It’s about using her voice and platform to reimagine what childhood can look like in places the world often writes off.
“In a place where all I’ve ever known is conflict, Da Rarrafe Yaro Kan Tashi gave me something new: the belief that change is possible,” she says. “It made me believe things will get better.”
Edited/Reviewed by PK Cross, Caleb Okereke, Awom Kenneth and Uzoma Ihejirika.
Illustrated by Rex Opara.
