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Zainab Bala Modibbo

@zainab__bala

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Journalist | Storyteller
People, power, climate & society.
Team Lead, @thescoopinitiative_|@thescoopcomms
🎙️ Speaker | Media | Storytelling

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NEW DROP! EPISODE 2 OF SEASON 2 IS LIVE.

As Muslim women, it’s so easy to lose sight of our fitra - our own inner truth. We often tell ourselves 'I’m fine' or 'this is just how it is' when our values are being compromised, choosing to conform for fear of being seen as "doing too much."

This conversation with @zainab__bala , journalist and founder @thescoopinitiative_ explores what happens to our souls when we stop negotiating with reality.

Sis, if you're ready to embrace radical honesty with yourself, your community, and your Creator, tune in via the link in our bio to watch!

#speakyourtruth #hijabdiscrimination #muslimnarratives #faithstorytelling #religioustolerance by @zainab__bala

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2 months ago

Congratulations @icfj on your 40th anniversary! Grateful for the chance to grow professionally as a journalist. PS: Thank you for recognizing my work with the 2021 Michael Elliot Award for Excellence in African Storytelling.

#icfj40 taken in Washington D. C. by @zainab__bala

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3 years ago

I had so much fun Facilitating a session at the US embassy @usinnigeria as a US Exchange Alumni @mandelawashfellowship , Journalist, and Communications Strategist.

The parley, part of the World Press Freedom Day commemoration, focused on what journalism looks like in Nigeria, particularly in the context of practising in the face of an environmental crisis.

My audience included fellow media professionals, and we discussed the challenges and opportunities in our field.

Ps: it was great to meet Andray Abrahamian, Political officer Embassy of the United States of America and Gilbert Morton, Press Attache (Spokesperson.) taken in American Embassy Abuja Nigeria by @zainab__bala

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2 years ago

So, this is 33. 🤍

And if I’m completely honest, it’s been a beautifully messy, unpredictable sort of year.
I’ve done a lot of growing and a fair bit of changing. I’ve loved deeply, prayed quietly, shed my fair share of tears, and laughed until my ribs ached. And somehow, through the thick and thin of it all, Allah’s kindness has been the quiet constant holding me together.

Some chapters made perfect sense, whilst others left me entirely without a clue. Prayers I made were answered, some were gently denied, and a fair few arrived wrapped in ways I’d never have imagined. But looking back at the tapestry of it all, it’s so clear that Allah’s presence was threaded through every single moment.

There is a lovely, quiet grounding that comes with 33. It’s the gentle realisation that protecting your peace isn't just talk anymore, that 'no' is a complete, unapologetic sentence. It’s breathing out, letting go of those imaginary timelines we torture ourselves with, trusting the whisper of my own intuition, and finally making peace with my own pace.

The circle is definitely smaller these days, but the love in it runs so much deeper. And honestly, I’ve found a strange, sweet magic in the ordinary things—the slow Sunday mornings, the quiet routines, and the simple grace of just looking after my mind and body.

I feel like I’m walking into this new age a little softer around the edges, a little wiser in the soul, a touch stronger, and endlessly more grateful.
Here’s to another year of becoming the woman I’m meant to be, stepping into it one gentle day at a time.

Alhamdulillah for the breath in my lungs. Alhamdulillah for the growing pains. Just Alhamdulillah for absolutely everything.

May Allah make this next chapter a beautiful, peaceful, and deeply purposeful one, spilling over with barakah. Ameen. by @zainab__bala

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2 days ago

Join us in spreading and educating our communicaties about the prevention and early detection of diabetes and hypertension.

@_watrahyel_
@stephen.akinfala
@virtual_stellah
@ola_abidemi
@pacer_film
@ajeckmangut

#ffbfoundation #ffbambassador #DiabetesAwareness #type2diabetes by @zainab__bala

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2 days ago

THANK YOU, FACILITATORS!

To our incredible facilitators, thank you for generously sharing your knowledge, experience and expertise with our Fellows. Each session created an opportunity for learning, reflection and growth, equipping our young women with insights and practical skills to support their leadership journeys.

Your willingness to give, teach and inspire has been a valuable part of this experience. The lessons shared will continue to inform how our Fellows grow, lead and contribute to their communities.

Thank you for being part of our story and helping shape theirs.

We are grateful.

#NAYFLI #NAYFLIFellowship #WomenInLeadership #YoungWomenLead #LeadershipDevelopment by @zainab__bala

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7 days ago

Meet FFB Foundation Ambassador: Mukhtar Modibbo @halilumukhtar_

In 2021, Mukhtar Modibbo noticed something was not right.

He was constantly thirsty and drinking a lot of water. He was also urinating frequently and losing weight. What initially seemed ordinary eventually led to a random blood sugar test at a clinic, followed by an HbA1c test that confirmed he was living with Type 2 diabetes.

Then came the difficult part.

Mukhtar had to completely rethink how he lived. He changed his diet, stopped drinking Coke, started eating more vegetables and salads, and adjusted to medication and a new routine.

He lost weight and hair. He experienced severe numbness and burning sensations in his hands and feet that sometimes made it difficult to sleep. The financial burden of medication and eating healthy also became part of his daily reality.

But Mukhtar chose not to let diabetes define him.

Today, he manages his condition and continues to work, live and care for his young family.

And he has a message for all of us:

“Diabetes is not a death sentence.”

For Mukhtar, the answer is not pity. It is understanding, education, early detection and support.

He believes that the lifestyle required to manage diabetes is one that everyone can benefit from, whether they live with the condition or not.

That is why he has chosen to become an Ambassador of the Funmilayo Florence Babalola (FFB) Foundation. @ffb_foundation0

He wants to use his own experience to educate others, encourage people to get screened and help prevent more people from becoming part of the story he now knows so well.

His message is simple:

“Prevent yourself so that you will not be in our story.”

Mukhtar is not asking for pity.

He is asking us to learn.

To screen early.

To make healthier choices.

And to understand that people living with diabetes can live full and meaningful lives.

Welcome to the FFB Foundation family, Mukhtar.

Together, we will educate.
Together, we will prevent.
Together, we will run the race and win it together.

#ffbfoundation #ffbambassador #diabetesawareness #diabetesprevention #type2diabetes #earlydetection #healthawareness #diabetesisnotadeathsentence

@_watrahyel_ @n_msen by @zainab__bala

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8 days ago

Coming out of this retreat feeling recharged from the inside out. More centred, more energised, more mentally and psychologically grounded, and honestly, more unstoppable.

There’s something powerful about stepping away from the noise, doing the inner work, challenging your thinking, and reconnecting with yourself and your purpose.

Leaving with a clearer mind, lighter spirit, renewed energy and a deeper trust in myself. taken in Livingstone, Zambia by @zainab__bala

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8 days ago

A lot to unpack around self-awareness and leading from strength—understanding who you are, what drives you, where your strengths lie, and how you show up for others 🤎🤎 taken in Livingstone, Zambia by @zainab__bala

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9 days ago

Our beautiful customer rocking our luxury abaya 😘😘😘😘 we give only the best . 🥰🥰@zainab bala Modibbo by @zainab__bala

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9 days ago

Ayaan Muhammad Mukhtar! My second beautiful blessing.

One whole year of you. How did that even happen?

If I had to describe you, I’d say you’re a fast learner, witty, curious and very much your own little person. You know what you want, and you’re really good at letting Mummy know too. It’s very much, “Mummy, this is what I want. Can you please give it to me?” And once I do, off you go, happily getting on with whatever important business you have planned.

Watching your personality unfold this past year has been such a joy. You’ve reminded me that even the tiniest people can have such big personalities.

Being your Mummy has been such a privilege. And being a mother to boys? It takes grit. It has taught me patience, stretched me in ways I didn’t expect, and given me so many moments to laugh, learn and marvel at the little people Allah has entrusted to me.

And Alhamdulillah, it has been beautiful.

I know that one day, you’ll be ready to run off into the world and do your own thing. There’ll come a time when you won’t need Mummy quite as much, and you’ll have your own life, your own home, your own people and your own ideas about what’s best.

And that’s okay. That’s the whole point, really.

Until then, I’ll be right here, and loving you, supporting you, guiding you when you need me, and hopefully knowing when to step back when you don’t. And even when we’re eventually living our separate lives and just chilling in our own corners of the world, you’ll always have a home in me.

I pray Allah protects you, gives you a beautiful heart and makes you a man of good character, kindness and iman. May He guide you, fill your life with barakah, and make you a source of goodness wherever you go.

Happy 1st birthday, my baby. 🤍 by @zainab__bala

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17 days ago

A special full-circle moment for me.

I’ve been appointed as a Safe Schools Safety Advocate by the PCRC, FCT Command.

What makes this even more meaningful is that my mum was also recognised and decorated as a Champion and Ambassador of the Safe Schools Programme, and her school was the first to host the programme in the FCT.

So, to now be joining this work in my own capacity feels incredibly special.

I’m excited to contribute to making our schools safer and creating environments where every child can learn, grow and thrive. taken in Nigeria by @zainab__bala

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a month ago