Nigeria National Funding Program/Idoghor Melody/Improving Depth and Source Quality in Nigerian Biographies
Project summary
Briefly summarize your project proposal.
Biographical coverage of Nigerians on English Wikipedia remains uneven in quality, with many articles still classified as stubs or containing minimal information. While numerous notable Nigerians already have entries, a large proportion of these biographies lack depth, structure, and reliable sourcing, resulting in superficial representation.
A review of Nigerian biography categories shows that thousands of articles across politics, academia, sports, religion, and the creative industries remain underdeveloped. Many lack essential sections such as early life and career, and often rely on only one or two sources, or none at all. A sample audit of selected articles further highlights recurring issues, including limited references, missing key sections, and overly brief content.
For example, en:Napoleon Bali currently consists of a single sentence despite the availability of sources that could support a more comprehensive biography. This reflects a broader gap in content quality, where existing articles are not fully developed even when notability is established.
This project addresses this gap by focusing on improving the quality of existing Nigerian biographies rather than creating new ones. Through structured training, mentorship, a one-month edit-a-thon, and a one-day physical edit-a-thon, participants will be equipped with the skills to expand stub articles, add reliable sources (see en:WP:RS), and apply Wikipedia standards, including the Biographies of Living Persons (BLP) policy.
By prioritizing depth over breadth, the project aims to strengthen the quality, reliability, and representation of Nigerian biographies on English Wikipedia, contributing to a more accurate and balanced global knowledge base.
Wikimedia Project
Please state the Wikimedia project your project will focus majorly on (e.g. Hausa Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, English Wikiquote, etc). It is advisable to focus on one Wikimedia project, but a maximum of two Wikimedia projects is allowed.
English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Contact person and Location
Please state the contact details of the contact person(s) for this project including email(s) and location. For more than one contact person, indicate same details for everyone
- Username: Idoghor Melody
- Email address: melodyidoghor2@gmail.com
- Address: Asaba, Delta State
- Location of Project:
Project class
Please state if you are applying as an individual or a group
Individual
Timeline of activities
Please state the timeline of your activities, and include the start and end date for your project
The project is scheduled to begin on June 1 and end on July 31. The timeline of activities will be listed below.
Timeline of activities
- June 5 – Project onboarding and participant recruitment
- June 7 – First virtual training session
- June 10 – Physical training
- June 19 – First virtual training session
- June 20 to July 20 – One-month virtual edit-a-thon
- June 28 – First office hour session
- July 10 – Second office hour session
- July 24 – Review and evaluation of contributions
- July 28 – Recognition of participants and prize distribution
- July 31 – Project close
Project Goal
Choose one or more of the following goals. Feel free to add or delete goals as required by your project.
- recruit new editors
- Add or improve content
- Training for new and existing editor
- Edit-a-thons to create contents
Project Plan
Activities
Tell us how you'll carry out your project. Be sure to answer the following questions:
1. Are you doing one editathon or training or a series of editathons or trainings?
- This project will include a series of activities: two virtual training sessions, a one-month virtual edit-a-thon, one physical event, and two mentorship office hour sessions.
2. How have you let relevant Wikimedia communities know about this proposal? You may also provide information about external social media channels you may be using.
3. How will you let participants know about the edit-a-thon? In what ways will you be communicating with them?
For example, these can include on-wiki spaces, social media channels, mailing lists, messaging apps, or physical/online gatherings.
- Participants will be informed through:
- WhatsApp groups
- Social media platforms (Twitter/X, Facebook)
Communication during the project will also be maintained through these channels.
4. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to lead/assist the event? Please provide links to the usernames of these individuals. (NOTE: all experienced Wikimedia editors MUST endorse and sign your proposal as proof of availability)
For example: User:Agbalagba
- Yes, experienced Wikimedians will be engaged to ensure the smooth running of the project.
- Username: User:Idoghor Melody
- Details: Idoghor Melody is an experienced Nigerian Wikimedian, and a contributor to the English Wikipedia. He holds advanced user rights, including New Page Reviewer, and actively contributes to maintaining content quality and supporting the English Wikipedia community. Has clear track records on English Wikipedia. Has over 38k edits on English Wikipedia. Created over 80 articles on English Wikipedia. More insights at XTools.
- Role: Project lead, trainer, and mentor.
Local Team
- Username: Ojewuyib
- Details: Ojewuyib is a fellow of African Wiki Women and an experienced Wikimedia volunterr. She has over 5 thousand edits across Wikimedia platforms.
- Role: Community Support Officer - Assists participants and supports their engagement during the project.
- Username: Andikan Efiok Eduok
- Details: Andikan is a Nigerian Wikimedian, community, and social media manager, and a Fellow of the Africa Wiki Women Fellowship. She contributes to Wikipedia and its sister projects and is the founder and lead of Wikimedia User Group Nigeria – Akwa Ibom Network. She has held roles in the Wikimedia Niger Delta Network, hosted the Train the Trainers South-South edition in 2024, and participated in Wiki Loves Africa 2025 and the Nigerian Oral History Documentation Project.
- Role: Activities & Logistics Officer - Helps keep project activities on track and organised.
5. Do participants have the equipment or skills needed to participate and contribute high quality content? If not, how will you support them?
- Most participants will have access to smartphones or laptops. Training sessions will equip them with necessary editing skills, and continuous mentorship will support quality contributions throughout the project.
6. How will you engage participants after the event(s)?
- Participants will be encouraged to remain active through continued mentorship, inclusion in Wikimedia community groups, and participation in future editing campaigns and events.
7. Is there anything else you want to tell us about this project?
- This project uniquely focuses on improving existing Nigerian biographies rather than creating new ones, addressing a critical gap in content depth, quality, and sourcing on English Wikipedia.
Impact
How will you know if the project is successful and you've met your goals? Please include the following targets (only those applicable to your project):
- Number of events - 6
- Number of participants - 40
- Number of new editors - 15
- Number of of articles created - 20
- Number of of articles improved - 150
- Number of of images uploaded - 20
- Number of repeat participants (for projects that include a series of events) - 20
Metrics tracking
How do you plan to track your project metrics? (do not create a metrics dashboard until your project has been approved for funding)
- Outreach Dashboard will be used to track participant contributions
- Manual tracking of improved articles and sources added
- Attendance tracking for all sessions
Contest & prize-giving events
How would decide the winners of your contest (If you are going to have a contest, what is your scoring criteria)
- Winners will be selected based on:
- Number of articles improved
- Quality of improvements (depth, structure, sourcing)
- Adherence to Wikipedia guidelines
- Top contributors will receive recognition and incentives
Resources
What resources do you have? Include information on who is organizing the project, what they will do, and if you will receive support from anywhere else (in-kind donations or additional funding).
- Project lead - Idoghor Melody
- Andikan Efiok Eduok and Ojewuyib will be supporting as my team members.
What resources do you need? For your funding request, list bullet points for each expense as a unit amount and include a total amount.
Endorsements
Community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!