One of the most creative courses taught in the Mass Communication department is 'feature writing’. ‘Features are not like ordinary routine reports; features are humor, features are in-depth, features are classic, features are experiences, features dig deep, and tell stories the way life truly happens. Unlike hard news, feature writing allows feeling, interpretation, and sometimes even the writer’s voice to gently find its way into the story. Therefore, feature writing is a type of journalistic writing that focuses on creating engaging, in-depth stories about people, events, or topics. It's like telling a story, but with facts and research, to capture the reader's attention and give them a deeper understanding of the subject.
Feature stories are often longer than news articles and can be found in newspapers, magazines, or online publications. They’re also produced on the radio and TV. They usually have a narrative structure, with a beginning, middle, and end, and may include interviews, descriptions, and analysis. I love feature writing because it gives the writer room to contribute more than just facts. It allows you to think, to feel, and to share your perspective either directly or quietly, something many other forms of writing do not permit.   

In the classroom, as I observe in my almost one and a half decades of teaching in the University, the feature writing class is where hidden talents often reveal themselves. You see students discover their voices, sometimes for the very first time. When I teach feature writing, I do so with all enthusiasm. This is because the course takes me back to my early days in journalism, my time as a cub reporter at the New Nigerian Newspapers during my NYSC, and later at Daily Trust Newspapers. Those years shaped me. They taught me that journalism is not only about routine news reporting. There are moments when a situation demands more, and when an issue is burning, emotional, and complex, you’ll be amazed that only a well-written feature can truly bring it to life.

On the field, I learned that not every journalist can write a good feature. It takes skill, patience, and depth. This is often what sets a journalist apart, so if you want to distinguish yourself as a journalist from others, then you have to write good features because not all journalists write features. That is why I share my field real-life experiences with my students, so they are not learning from theory alone but from practical, lived realities. Another important thing is finding a powerful channel or platform to disseminate the feature stories. Of course, writing a powerful feature is only half the journey. The story also needs the right platform to reach readers, listeners, or viewers, i.e., the audience in general.  As technology keeps evolving, so do the journalism and the teaching professions. Journalists hitherto relied on the traditional media for dissemination, while traditional media once dominated, online platforms have opened new doors. Today, both students of communication and journalists have more opportunities than ever to share their stories. I encourage our students to embrace digital spaces and social networks to amplify their voices. For storytelling, platforms like Blogshop provide a welcoming space to tell stories in your own style, our own African way, while preserving culture and identity. It is a place where stories can breathe, travel, and be heard.

As for me, I have found a platform (Blogshop) that understands my voice and serves me whenever I need to speak through storytelling. And that, to me, is part of the true beauty of feature writing.