Enroll for diploma in journalism, NIJ Provost advises untrained journalists
By Ibrahim Kegbegbe The Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mr Gbenga Adefaye, has advised untrained journalists in the media industry to enroll for a diploma course at NIJ to avert public disgrace. Adefaye said this at the presentation of “ History and Politics of Nigeria from Journalism Archives”, authored by Mike Osuji, […]
By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
The Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mr Gbenga Adefaye, has advised untrained journalists in the media industry to enroll for a diploma course at NIJ to avert public disgrace.
Adefaye said this at the presentation of “ History and Politics of Nigeria from Journalism Archives”, authored by Mike Osuji, Head of Department of Mass Communication, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos.
The provost, who was the event’s chairman, reminded the participants of the fact that most of the well known Nigerian journalists, in some media houses in Nigeria today, have been victims of humiliation as a result of bias; unbalanced; unfairness and lack of journalistic ethics that always reflect in their daily reports or analyses.
“Some of these journalists studied accounting; English language; sciences or engineering in school and that has been the reason those that studied Mass Communication or journalism do call them writers not journalists,” he said.
Adefaye said since he assumed office as the provost of NIJ, the books written by the lecturers of the institution have been his guides as he felt that those books were written from the lecturers’ long-term experience in the teaching of journalism and students who also find the books as guide are excelled in their careers.
He said, “When I came to NIJ, one of the first gifts that I got were collection of books authored by the Deputy Provost, Dr. Dele Omojuyigbe, and these books have occupied prominent places on my shelves because I found them so useful and do recommend them for whoever wants to excel in the career of journalism.”
Adefaye said that the author of the book Mike Osuji, has chosen to to put his name permanently on the shelves of many institutions and other places of learning, especially for the trainers and learners of Mass Communication.
“There are so many of books of the history of Nigeria written from several perspectives. Some are written by politicians, while others are written by historians; ghost writers and some are written by the colonial rulers in the past.
“What is unique about “History and Politics of Nigeria from Journalism Archives” is that it is written from the journalism perspective and which is always being in the archives,” he said.
While reviewing the book, the Director General of Centre for Research, Information Management and Media Development, Dr. Raphael James, said contrary to the popular saying that a book is not judged by its cover, the book, “History and Politics of Nigeria from Journalism Archives”, should be judged from its cover as it gives hints of what the book is all about.
James reminded the participants that the book stated that no Obas, no Emirs or chiefs were present during the exercise of amalgamation in contradictory to other books of history, adding that Mike Osuji’s view is correct.