The new Editor-In-Chief (EIC) of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Ephraims Sheyin has plans to reposition the organisation to meet modern challenges.
Sheyin who disclosed his plans in a brief made available to Media Career noted that as a news agency, NAN used to pride itself as the agency that will always be the first with the news, but has lost the monopoly with practically every phone owner becoming a news breaker in the comfort of his or her bedroom.
“What we want to do more is to make our copies more credible, factual and reliable. That way we become the most trusted agency and most reliable with the news.
“ It is the only way to remain at the top and effectively serve our clients and, ultimately, the country and bring an enlightened opinion to bear on national issues,” said Sheyin who started his journalism career on Dec. 11, 1989, as a Reporter with NAN.
He moved through the ranks as Correspondent, Senior Correspondent, Principal Correspondent, Assistant Chief Correspondent, Chief Correspondent, Assistant EIC, Deputy EIC, and was named EIC March 30, 2020.
Born in Ikulu, Kaduna State in 1965, Sheyin is a graduate of Ahamdu Bello University, Zaria and has also attended training programmes at the International Institute of Journalism, Berlin, Germany Stanford University, California, USA and Oxford University.
In 1996, he won one of the two slots for Africa and developing countries in the JS Knight Fellowship from a pool of over 500 applicants.
Recalling his experience on the job, Sheyin said “I have covered lots of foreign assignments at the United Nations, and also covered several international seminars in Sudan, Kenya, U.S, UK, Holland, Cameroun, Ghana, Niger among others.
“Generally, I have spent a lot of time covering wars and conflicts. As a young reporter, I covered the Tiv/Jukun violence in then Gongola State and continued that task when I moved to Kafanchan at the peak of the Zango-Kataf crisis.
“I continued the trend when I was in Abuja and was always flying to Sudan to cover the Darfur crisis. I also covered the negotiations toward resolving the Bakassi conflict between Nigeria and Cameroun, shuttling to Cameroun after every two months, at the peak of the discussions.
“I also travelled to Kenya and other countries for negotiations involving the warring groups in Sudan, leading to the separation and emergence of southern Sudan. I have a very deep passion for journalism and have turned down several appointments because I wouldn’t want to miss the newsroom,” Sheyin said.