By Akubulu Ngozi
The Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji has charged students of the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ, to uphold the tenets of professionalism in the pursuit of their journalistic career.
The Governor gave this charge through his Special Adviser on Media, Comrade Yinka Oyebode, while delivering his speech during the matriculation ceremony of the 2022/2023 students of the institution in Ado-Ekiti, today.
According to him, journalism has gone beyond the terrine of pen and paper as a result of the introduction of technology and incorporation of the social media in the media world.
He said, “I want to admonish the students to put into practice their course of discipline, to make maximize and skillfully incorporate them.
“Journalism has gone beyond the pen and paper dispensation as a result of the out stretch of technology which has contributed immensely to the establishment of social media. I want to use this medium to admonish you to pay more attention on innovation as the field has now become more competitive especially in the aspect of technology.”
Also, the governor admonished the management to organize programmes that would enable tennegers to be exposed to the profession in order to develop their interest at a tender stage.
” I want to use this medium to admonish the management to inculcate social media management as part of its curriculum. Management should also include a programme which I tag, “Catch them young” into the curriculum so as to sensitize the young minds on the act of journalism and to bring the profession close to the them in order to build their interest and understand as they prepare for the future.”
The registrar of the school represented by Akogun Tai Oguntayo, who revealed that the institution has produced outstanding journalists, implored the matriculated students to be effective in their respective course of studies to meet up with standard of the profession as suggested by the society.
More so, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Chris Isiguzo represented by the Vice President of NUJ, Zone B, Comrade Ronke Samo, charged the students on the need to be determined in pursuit of the profession, stressing on the challenges the are bound to be encountered in the process which according to her are not insurmountable.
She further revealed how she was able to earn the position of the first female secretary and vice president of the union owing to the level of determination she exhibited during her time in the school.