The Chairman, Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abdullateef Lanre Ahmed, has spoken of the commitment of the leadership of the union to prioritize training and retraining of its members.
Ahmed said the council would encourage members to utilize in full the attendant advantage in the information and communication technology (ICT) to check misinformation and minimize the evil associated with fake news, which is currently on the prowl.
The NUJ Chairman stated this at the mini-reception and public presentation of certificates to participants at the five days courses on digital marketing, user interface/user experience and web experience for NUJ members and sponsored by Mohammed Ajia Ibrahim (MAI Foundation) in collaboration with the state council of the union.
Ahmed said the union was passionate about digital revolution in the media industry and would do all it could to ensure that its members key into it.
He added that it has become crystal clear that Information Technology was the pathway for practitioners in the industry so as to be relevant in the scheme of things and also compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world.
The NUJ Chairman thanked the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MAI Foundation, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim Ajia, for partnering with the union, especially in the area of training and retraining for journalists in the state.
Alhaji Ibrahim Ajia, who formally declared the presentation of certificates open, assured that his foundation would not rest on its oars in supporting the media because of its indispensable role in sustaining democracy and good governance.
Speaking through Jibril Issa, the MAI Foundation boss explained that his foundation keyed into the training for journalists due to its belief that information technology has come to take over in all spheres of life.
The state Commissioner for Communications, Abosede Olaitan Buraimoh, said the training was timely in view of the ongoing innovation hub project of the state government, which was designed to stimulate the passion of the youth for ICT to further unleash their potentials.
She added that the present administration made it a policy to improve the capacity of the state-owned media with positive turnaround in its Media outfits and as well as the establishment of FM Station in Okuta, Baruten Local Government Area for even development across the state.
Some of the participants commended the state Chairman of NUJ, Abdullateef Lanre Ahmed and members of his executive and the MAI Foundation for bridging the training gap that had existed over the years.
