By Ibrahim Abdullahi Ajibola

When you think deeply about success, you will realize a question follows it around, “what still matters after everything has been won?”

When Lionel Messi finally lifted the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the world celebrated a man who had, by every measurable standard, won everything football could offer. The trophies, records, individual awards, nothing was left unchecked.

However, in his various post-victory interviews, Messi spoke less about having “arrived” and more about the journey; how it started, the love for the game, and the discipline that kept him going, especially when the accolades started coming in.

In campus journalism, it is pleasing to know that someone with the same journey exists. Someone who has walked the talks and has left no stone unturned. A name that has became an household one in student journalism; Shereefdeen Sawe.

Within university media circles, Sawe is often spoken about in hushed admiration of what he has achieved. Fellowships, national and international recognitions, diverse reporting beats, editorial respect, and sustained relevance.

For many student journalists, his résumé reads like a destination. But when our correspondent at Gamji Press, UDUS sat down with him, it became clear that, much like Messi, the story does not end at winning everything. In fact, that is precisely where the deeper questions begin.

This feature by this reporter is not about the awards Sawe has won, but one on purpose, consistency and other things that kept him going, even when it seems there is left nothing for him to prove.

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠

For Messi, footballing success does not translate to winning trophies, but rather, expressing himself and the love he has for the game. This same philosophy is found in what Sawe sees as journalistic success.

“At the core of my journey is telling stories that truly matter,” he said. “Journalism is about amplifying voices that are often unheard and holding people in power accountable.”

Like Messi, whose greatness outlived Ballon d’Or counts and trophy wins, Sawe also downplays accolades.

“I do not do journalism because of awards. Awards are only a by-product of the stories you put in. The real work is ensuring that voices are heard and stories are told,” he explained.

This, if you ask a random person, they will fail. In fact, to a lot of people, Sawe appears to have reached the peak. But to him, the peak is irrelevant if the work loses meaning and does not serve its purpose.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠; 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

No great football player scores the highest goals in a season and then disappears the next season. Regardless of criticism or fatigue, they keep showing up. In Sawe’s world, he also frames his own consistency in similarly introspective terms.

“Once you have started a journey, stopping suddenly raises questions, even to yourself. So you keep going, not because of attention, but because the work still matters,” he reflected.

In campus journalism, enthusiasm often burns hot and fades quickly, and discipline separates hobbyists from professionals. Behind Sawe’s longevity lies self-accountability and an internal standard that does not depend on validation from anyone.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞

Messi’s brilliance has always been functional. He scores goals, supplies the team with assists and beautifies the game with his dribbles. For Sawe, public interest plays the same role.

“If a story is not in the interest of the public, it is difficult to call it journalism,” he stated.

This principle guided his early decision to venture into fact-checking as far back as 2021.

“I started fact-checking because I was seeing things that were not true and I believed they needed to be challenged. I never imagined there would be a fellowship around it, but when one came in 2023, my work already spoke for me,” he said.

The pattern repeats across his beats. In gender reporting, he recalls a story on young female photographers navigating a male-dominated space.

“I told that story simply because I felt it deserved to be told. The recognition came later, but it was never the aim,” Sawe noted.

Here again is the Messi parallel, impact first, applause later.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚

Every football legend started on a smaller pitch. Messi had Rosario and La Masia. Sawe had campus journalism at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

“If you cannot establish yourself on your campus, it becomes very difficult to scale beyond it. Campus journalism is a training ground, and you must master it,” he advised.

His transition from campus reporting to international platforms did not happen overnight. They were result of years of covering governance, human rights, sports, and public accountability. These were part of the experiences that later earned him opportunities such as the “Africa Is Not A Country Exchange Program” in Denmark.

“That diversity of experience builds confidence. When you are interviewed for fellowships or programs, you speak boldly because you’ve done the work,” he said.

As per mentorship, it was the invisible hand along that pulled him up the way. “Mentorship does not always mean teaching you how to write. Sometimes, it is just someone telling you, ‘Do it this way’ or ‘Focus here.’ Those little directions matter,” he said.

𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

If awards are not the goal, what then are fellowships to Sawe? Fellowships has greatly contributed to what Sawe is, today.

“Each fellowship shaped me differently,” he explained. “But my first fully funded training, the Promoting Democratic Governance Reporting Fellowship under the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, really opened my eyes to the ethical realities of mainstream journalism.”

Other fellowships also broadened his sense of purpose beyond journalism. “The Millennium Fellowship, for instance, is not strictly a journalism fellowship, but with my focusing on SDG 16, I used journalism as a tool for advocacy.”

Like Messi adapting across Barcelona, Paris-Saint German and Inter Miami, Sawe took each experience as a layer to his success, not the finish line.

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭?

When Lionel Messi donned the black Arab robe and lifted the World Cup, the world saw completion but Messi himself saw continuity.

Sawe’s journey mirrors that truth. Having “won everything” in campus journalism does not signal an end, but rather, raises a higher responsibility of remaining relevant, ethical, and useful in a rapidly changing media world.

Our conversation with Sawe taught us a great lesson that greatness is not defined by how much you collect, but by how faithfully you continue to serve the craft when there is nothing left to chase.

And like Messi, Sawe is still playing, not for trophies, but for meaning.