By Efosa Taiwo and Nurudeen Salako
Law and journalism experts have expressed concerns over standards of campus journalism practice in the country due to high rate of censorship of by authorities of the institutions.
The experts who spoke at the Ogun State Campus Journalism Summit organised by Press Club MAPOLY in Abeokuta said these stifling conditions will result in docile media practice on campuses.
Speaking on “Campus Journalism in the face of Repugnant Management and Environment”, Online Editor of The Nation Newspapers, Lekan Otufodunrin, called on management of institutions in Nigeria not to deny students their rights to publish or unjustly penalise campus journalists for unfavorable publications.
“Like in many areas of our society, standard of campus journalism has fallen due to various reasons and there is the urgent need to address whatever challenges the present practitioners have to contend with.
“Normally, there should be no fear of managements outlawing activities of campus journalists. They may not approve of some of the things you publish if it is not in their interest, but they have no choice but to
live with campus journalists like the governments at various levels have to with media organisations.
“Campus journalists should however not set out to be anti-management. They should constructively criticise when necessary and commend when there are reasons to. Being a campus journalist is also not a license to abuse the rights of those being reported. Your reports and views must be fair, balance and be truthful in all ramifications,” Otufodunrin stated.
While calling for unity among campus publishers on issues of concern, Otufodunrin, enjoined the student-journalists to join the discussions on national issues.
“There will also be need for cooperation among campus publishers to interface with the management on issues of common concern instead of engaging in unnecessary competition which can be exploited by the
managements seeking to break your ranks.
“I want to commend you all for keeping the tradition of campus journalism alive. Virtually all major newspapers in the country have campus pages which I want to urge you to take advantage of not only to
report on activities in your institution, but add your voice to national discourse on issues of national importance,” Otufodunrin added.
A legal practitioner, Barrister Lukman Abdullahi while delivering his keynote adrwss titled, “Journalism as a Social Institution that Requires Freedom to Effectively Function” said that before the media
can effectively discharge her constitutional duties, campus journalism must be supported and given room for successful practices in Nigerian institutions.
According to him, the restrictions placed on campus journalism such as harassment, intimidation and the threats of expulsion when exercising their duties is a major threat to journalism. Abdullahi however warned that campus journalists must be fair and balance in their reports and
“The press is an indispensable element in the society because it allows government to know the feelings and yearnings of those it governs. In as much as you never publish any libelous, defamatory,
obscene and seditious stories on campus, be assured that the law is there to protect you. There are people that will fight the cause for you,” he added.
Lamenting the spate of censorship on campuses while speaking earlier, President of Press Club MAPOLY, Ifedayo Ogunyemi called for the creation of a national institution to fight censorship on campus and offer legal representation when necessary. He said the National Union of Campus Journalists (NUCJ) and the National Association of Nigerian Campus Editors (NANCE) should be empowered to protect the interests of her members.
He also called on the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigeria Press Council (NPC), the Nigeria Guild of Editors, International Journalists Network (IJNET) and every other concerned outfit to lead the fight aimed at upholding the tenets of journalism on campus.
“We need you to help us uphold the tenets of the profession right from the campuses where it is presently under attack. Censorship should not only be outlawed in the field, but also be outlawed on campus because that is the rotten source of censorship in the outside world,” he said.
In their contribution, Head of Programmes, Sweet FM Abeokuta, Olaitan Bakare and media scholar, Jonathan Olajide implored campus journalists to latch on to the advantages of the social media in their reporting. Bakare advised the participants not to wait for media jobs as they (participants) could create jobs by going into blogging and podcasting.
The summit was well attended by participants from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Tai Solarin College of Education, Federal College of Education Osiele, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta among others.
Dignitaries at the event include, Chairman, Ogun State branch of NUJ, Wole Shokunbi, Acting General Manager of Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) who was represented by a Director at the station, Mr Lawanson, Head, Southwest Bureau of BusinesDay Newspaper, Razaq Ayinla, Chairman and National Association of Nigerian Students Ogun JCC axis, Comrade Olawale Balogun.
