It was an impressive turnout of some of the leading lights of communication and media scholarship and practice in Nigeria, and another demonstration of the commitment of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), to solutions, real solutions and cutting-edge solutions.
The Guest Mentor, President, ACSPN and Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Prof Umaru Pate, gave participants engaging insights into various issues of concern. There were critical inputs from other mentors, and the mentees turned out with questions – in the maiden edition of the ACSPN “Ask Me” – mentor/Mentee Sessions Webinar Initiative on January 12, 2022, with Lanre Arogundade, Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, and Publicity Secretary, ACSPN, moderating. IPC supported the programme.
Apart from scholars like Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Ralph Akinfeleye, University of Lagos, Professor Oluyinka Esan, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Professor Eserinune Mojaye, National Open University of Nigeria, and Professor Mohammed K Farouk, former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, other scholars, professionals and undergraduate and postgraduate students from private, federal and state universities across Nigeria, participated.
Among the issues discussed was passion, focus and career advancement among young and upcoming communication scholars and professionals, the synergy between the academia and industry, the imminent launch of the unbundled mass communication curriculum, which Prof Pate described as very rich, encompassing both the theoretical and practical needs of the students, and which adequately capture various professional needs of the industry, and is designed to equip students with required skills. He spoke of an upcoming collaborative meeting of industry leaders and Heads of departments and Deans of Schools of Communication, to strengthen this synergy.
There was unanimity in encouraging scholars in the diaspora to find opportunities to volunteer and collaborate with Nigerian institutions, for the benefit of the local institutions. Prof Pate noted that although Vice-chancellors would love to bring so many of these individuals in, the resources were often limited.
Profs Esan, Mojaye, Okunna and Farouk made major contributions to the discussion. Prof Okunna, for instance, asked when the field would become recognized and respected as a profession that requires training before practice.
Responding, Prof Pate said that this is a continuous process and that although it was impossible for the academia to legislate who media owners employed, the goal was to encourage students to practice their field, noting that the new curriculum would expose students to the excitement and wonders of media enterprise, and hopefully inspire many of them to actually practice what they have studied.
Participants expressed appreciation to ACSPN and the guest speaker who did justice to the questions asked. Prof Farouk, an education specialist, said he enjoyed his experience during the Ask Me session and hoped the series would be sustained.