The Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Kwara state Council, Mr. AbdulLateef Hammed has urged Journalists to go digital in their profession, to enable them to work faster and more efficiently.
The NUJ Chairman made the call during a 5-Day Training on Digital Marketing for NUJ members, in collaboration with Mohammed-Ajia Ibrahim Foundation (MAI Foundation), at NUJ Press Centre, Offa Road, Ilorin.
He said that the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was a blessing, notwithstanding the attendant of negative impacts on the larger society.
Hammed said that the blessings of ICT were more felt in the media industry, as it was used as a watershed and revolution of some sort.
He said that ICT has eased the way information was disseminated instantaneously as it breaks, for the consumption of society.
The Chairman, however, said that journalists appeared not to have totally grabbed the opportunity with open arms, but need to be acquainted and in turn be financially independent, to some extent.
“You would be marveled to still see some of our colleagues with a penchant for writing and reading news stories, from papers in broadcasting stations, when the operation in the industry is becoming paperless.
“For those in print, except you want to jot down, it is just inexplicable for one to be seen still writing on papers, be it feature articles and news stories.
According to him, the time is now, to be digital in our general operation, as ICT makes our work seamless and also helps us to be financially independent.
Hameed urged journalists to also explore genuine and legitimate windows of opportunity that abound in the facility, to wriggle them out of the lingering scarce resources in the media industry.
The chairman said that the ICT consultant engaged in the training would expose the participants to numerous areas in digital marketing, that would stimulate our interest in wanting to go the way of ICT.
“Whether we like it or not, it is the new paradigm away from the micro-culture of our economy, that is oil-driven and heavily dependent,” Hammed said.
He thanked the sponsor and founder of MAI Foundation, for taking it upon himself to put down funds for the exercise.
The state Commissioner for Communication, Mrs. Abosede Buraimoh urged the beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity and build themselves in line with their work and become professionals.
She also thanked the MAI Foundation for their initiative and financial support in making journalists more efficient.
Alhaji Mohammed-Ajia Ibrahim, Sponsor and Founder of MAI Foundation said that the foundation had carried out activities that involve human development and wish to extend the kind gesture to journalists.
He urged journalists to maximize the opportunity and be able to compete with other journalists around the world, through learning how to use the internet.
According to him, the training programme will open the minds and broaden their horizons towards diversification of their profession as the world is fast becoming an ICT-driven world.
Meanwhile, the 5-day training programme has commenced with journalists from various chapel’s participating in courses such as Digital Marketing, User Interface/ User Experience and Web Experience.
Nnenna.O
