The imperative and essence of training and retraining for practising journalists cannot be overemphasized in a world where the dynamism of the profession is changing on daily basis. In its characteristics of blazing the trail amongst its contemporaries in the maritime media industry, members of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) last week converged for a training workshop organised in collaboration with the School of Eloquence, Ikoyi Lagos, to better their understanding and using the right terminology in reporting activities of stakeholders in the industry. Raymond Tedunjaye who was part of the training exercise brings back the report .
Training and retraining of practising journalists is of great importance for better understanding of the dynamism of the profession. It enables one to sharpen his or her skill, upscale knowledge and compete favourably with counterparts within and internationally.
Undoubtedly, this must have informed the decision of the leadership of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), a foremost group of seasoned and articulate journalists in the maritime industry to organise a training workshop for its members.
Tagged ” Capacity Development: Updating Journalists On Evolving Industry Development”, the workshop, which held on Friday, 14th June 2024, was so unique to due it’s huge success. It took place in the classy training centre of School of Eloquence, located in the highbrow city of Ikoyi, in a serene and cosy environent. Secondly, the resource persons were drawn from the best players one can talk of in the industry.
Of importance to note is the physical presence of the Dean of the school, Mr. Ubong Essien, a foremost media practitioner, image management specialist, renowned lecturer in eloquent speaking, who electrified the training session to the admiration of the participants.
Aside the nitty gritty of understanding the terminology of reporting some section of the industry, which formed the basis for the training, it also offered the opportunity of enriching participants ways of making money in the profession, as they were taking through the business aspect of journalism.
Speaking at the training, the Dean of School of Eloquence, Mr. Ubong Essien tasked journalists to explore and unearth potentials in the Marine and Blue Economy in their reportage.
Essien , who was a former Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the immediate past Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh , called on the media practitioners to create wealth for themselves through effective and quality reportage about the Marine and Blue Economy , saying that the sector was under-reported by journalists.
Speaking further on the multiple advantages of the sector, the media mogul reiterated that the maritime industry is not limited to the ocean or ships, maintaining that the blue economy is vast to the extent that a journalist can choose to specialize on a segment and get the desired relevancy to create wealth.
According to him, journalists can specialise on any given sub sector within the industry, improve on it and create wealth from it.
While commending AMJON for the innovation, the Dean stressed that the school is open for partnership in the area of capacity building for members adding that journalists must equip themselves with modern day technologies like use of social media, Artificial Intelligence, Google etc to create the needed awareness for the Marine and Blue Economy growth.
He further described journalism and the legal practitioners as noble professions which in turn has the capacity to enlighten the public about new innovations, thus the professionals must be strategic while engaging critical stakeholders for nation building and economic development.
He also appealed to members of the association to prioritize capacity building as a veritable tool to gain more knowledge.
Describing ”knowledge as power”, Essien stated that training and retraining of members of AMJON is a clear indication of wealth creation urging them not to relent in pursuit of academic abilities and upscaling of their knowledge base.
A renowned internet and new media specialist, Victor Ijeze, took participants through the business aspect of journalism, on how a journalist can make more money through the news platform.
Fielding questions at the event, the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Prince Adewale Adeyanju charged journalists to abide with the ethics of the profession by being objective to avoid the wrath of the law.
Represented by the Deputy President General of MWUN, Comrade Harry Tonye, he noted that some journalists engage in unprofessional conduct by not being fair to all parties involved a matter and also publish libelous stories that most times put them into trouble.
Adeyanju used the occasion to disclose parts of his achievement, which include the conclusion of the verification for the payment of the entitlement of disengaged seafarers of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) by the Federal Government and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
The cheering news is coming after 28- years of liquidation of the national carrier, with its headquarters at the Apapa Port, Lagos.
Prince Adeyanju dropped this hint at the Association of Maritime Journalist of Nigeria (AMJON) training workshop held in collaboration with the School of Eloquence at the school’s premises in Ikoyi Lagos, last Friday.
Adeyanju stated that the union will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the disengaged seafarers get their due pension. He did not however, give the exact date when the aged seafarers will receive their pensions.
Comrade Adeyanju took the journalists on the rudiments of the operations union and its duties to the workers, saying the Nigerian port industry continues to stable peace because of the Collective Bargaining Agreement strategy put in place to ensure that workers are paid living wage. He disclosed that the agreement is reviewed every two years. “The good thing about it is that if there is anything that was not captured in the agreement, one can patiently wait for the next two years for it to be addressed,” he said.
Resource personnel from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and School of Eloquence engaged journalists on the right terminology on their reportage and publications in line with ethics of the profession.
Among the team of MWUN at the training were, Comrade Harry Tonye , Head of Media MWUN, Comrade Oniha Odigie; Comrade Kennedy Ikemefuna
The National Public Relations Officer (NPRO), Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada was represented by the Customs Public Relations Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Superintendent of Customs Abdul Lagos.