Tunde Abatan writes on the 6th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN ) held on the state of the media in Abeokuta, Ogun State last week
When communication scholars and professionals in Nigeria gathered in Abeokuta, Ogun State, last week for their 6th Annual Conference with the Theme: National Interest, Freedom of Expression and Governance in Africa, it was also an occasion to ponder on the state of media practice in the country.
The conference provided the opportunity to focus on how far the media has operated within the inherent challenges the industry and practitioners are coping with.
With the gathering of veteran media practitioners including renown columnist, Tola Adeniyi, Broadcaster, Taiwo Alimi, Journalist and trainer, Dayo Duyile and Public Relations practitioner, Oba Femi Ogunleye, the event was indeed a moment for appraisal and evaluation of the emerging new media landscape.
The conference hall of the luxuriating Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, Abeokuta the city where the first newspaper in Nigeria, Iwe Irohin fun awon ara Egba ati Yoruba had it’s birth 160 years ago, also provided a serene atmosphere for the media gurus and scholars in attendance to critically examine their roles and survival strategies to adopt.
A major highlight of the conference was a special panel constituted to ponder on examining Journalism, Media Sustainability and The consolidation of Democracy 160 years after and a presentation of the simulated version of Iwe Irohin by Alake of Egbaland, Adedotun Gbadebo , whose grandfather was just four years on the throne, when Henry Townsend launched the trailblazing first newspaper.
Oba Gbadebo asked the participants to purge the profession of strangers and untrained rumour mongers who have invaded the social media with fake publications and other unethical practices which he said has invariably affected the quality of the media contributions to national development and its growth.
Adeniyi spoke on the need for media practitioners to consider security and the survival of the industry to disseminate news as a necessary step on which no compromise will be taken.
He identified the lack of clear ideology in the framework of all the political parties that drives the polity in Nigeria as difficulties in the proper definition of the nation’s national interest, noting that the definition of national interest in their own enlightened self- interest remains the preserve of emerging leaders.
“National interest is thus shaped by the pocket of the person driving it and interests expressed by others must not harm him,” Adeniyi said adding that until the nation is unbundled and returned to federalism as at independence, such selfish definition in the prevalent unitary system will continue to affect practise of a robust and free press.
Speaking in the same vein, Alimi, former director-general of Voice of Nigeria (VON), said the content of media today has affected the morality and national interest of the people having failed to lift the people up with a new orientation to meet the needs of the moment.
He contended that media is more than reporting but also an understanding of the society they report adding that “media must stand for a cause and live for that cause. You can have information without development but you cannot have development without information.”
He believes that as things stand today, the nation needs to move from short-sighted journalism to far-sighted journalism.
Oba Ogunleye, who for many years was a public relations professional and ended up as a traditional ruler from where he read law counselled on the need for continuous training of journalists for the nation to succeed.
He tasked media practitioners to begin to document, “the experience of our veterans to guide and serve as a lesson for upcoming journalists”.
Niran Malaolu, former editor and founder of Rock City FM, an Abeokuta based radio station identified the inability of the country to forge itself as a nation as its inherent obstacles.
” You cannot create something out of nothing and since we don’t see ourselves as a nation, it is difficult to define our national interest “.
He still believes that the challenge remains the inability to fund the press adequately and bring it out of government control.
Bayo Oloyede, a professor of Mass Communication remarked that with the various challenges faced by media practitioners in the country today, in terms of sustainability,” we cannot have anything better than what we are having now.”
Eddy Aina, a former director of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said media practitioners have to move from the yoke of self-censorship to make the media survive since the ownership structure seems to have been hijacked by politicians.
Rahila Jibrin, however, cautioned that though Freedom of Information(FOI) is guaranteed under the constitution, there may still be that may not be allowed for publication.
” We must always know how to manage our freedom of expression. We should not be the story. Don’t overstep your bond. we must always have a way to protect the right of journalists.”
Former judge of the International Court of Justice at the Hague and founder of Crescent University which produced the stimulated version of Iwe Irohin fun awon Ara Egba, Judge Bola Ajibola commended the simulation, noting that the presentation represents a unique chronicle of one of the milestones recorded in Abeokuta.
” It is a unique idea of bringing back what Townsend did to achieve journalistic prominence. “
He was supported by Oba Gbadebo who described the publication as a making-of history which he was proud to be part of since the first edition was produced when his grandfather, the then Alake, was four years on the throne.
Speaking at the presentation of the stimulated version of Iwe Irohin to Kabiyesi Gbadebo, Lai Oso,Professor and former dean of Communication, Lagos State University and President of ACSPN, remarked that Abeokuta is not only unique in Nigerian history as a city which governed itself before the European came, it had the advantage of having the first Church in Nigeria, the Cathedral of Ake where Henry Townsend was not only a preacher but also educating through the publication of Iwe Irohin which ” predated Nigeria”.
He said the stimulated version was to re-enact history to bring back what happened before Nigeria was born.
Indeed it was a reenactment as the ACSPN was able to attract the gathering of over 200 media scholars and practitioners from all over the country to reassess media position and relevance in the ancient city where history was made 160 years ago.
