Osoba says Nigerian media contents, industry respected worldwide

A former Governor of Ogun, Mr. Olusegun Osoba, on Wednesday in Lagos lauded the performance of contents of the Nigerian media industry irrespective of all odds.

Osoba, Chairman, Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, gave the commendation when he spoke with journalist after the hoisting of flags and unveiling of the Framed Code of Ethics of the institute’s professional stakeholders.

He said the contents of Nigerian media had remained one of the most vibrant and most respected in the world.

According to the former governor, who is a foremost media practitioner, the country’s media industry is standing tall as a result of the high level of discipline and application of ethics.

“The Nigerian media is one of the most vibrant and most respected in the world. We are keeping to the ethics of the profession and I am happy to say that we have commanded the respect of the people.

“’I am happy about the state of affairs of the Nigerian press; what we are doing here today is partly to appreciate all those who are involved and sustaining the entire structure of journalism in the county.

“We are equally re-energising, redeeming and rebranding the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.

“The purpose is also to showcase the new council and new management to the world that we are determined to raise the bar of this institution and improve journalism in the country,” he said.

Earlier in his address welcome, the Provost of the institute, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, said the main goal of the ceremony was to provide a linkage and identification of the various professional bodies.

He listed the professional bodies as the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the custodian and guardian of Journalism in Nigeria, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the gatekeepers and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the frontliners.

Others are the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the mouth piece and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), the town crier.

“Our hope is that whoever passes here will appreciate our connectivity when he sees the flags flying.

“It is important to highlight that the governing council membership of our institution is drawn from the professional bodies.

“In all, we hope the hoisting of the flags and the unveiling of the code of ethics plagues will open a new chapter in the transformation and re-positioning of the institution as we transform to digitally impact our profession,” Adefaye said.

According to him, the institution as a foremost communication training institute in it’s fifth decade of independent Nigeria, only has peers in Ghana and Kenya, and has remained a public trust of dual heritage; academic and professional.

“Our mandate is to train aspiring and budding journalists and others in the media and communication disciplines, as well as retrain practitioners in media and communication disciplines of journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations, marketing communication and others.

“Today, we hoist the flags of the various professional bodies, including the International Press Institute (IPI), which provided the seed fund in 1963.

“We also unveil the plague of the code of ethics of these professional bodies at strategic locations on our campus to constantly remind ourselves; faculty, students and visitors of the ethical requirements of our noble profession.

“This, we hope, will serve as constant reminder and consciousness builder for us in integrating the values and ethical standards required for professional practice.

“The foundation of professional practice is ethics; our flags must fly at full mast,” the provost added.

Our correspondent reports that the high point of the ceremony was the hoisting of the flags, each of them representing the various professional bodies.

The chairman of council of the institute, Osoba, took the lead by hoisting the Nigerian flag.

This was followed by representatives of other professional bodies, including Dr Ray Ekpu, Chief Executive of Newswatch Magazine and Mr Chris Isiguzo, President, NUJ, among others.