The Member representing Enugu North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Chimaobi Sam Atu, has provided laptops and other digital tools to more than 50 journalists and media practitioners in Enugu to strengthen their capacity for development journalism.
The intervention was unveiled at the closing ceremony of the Digital Skills for Agricultural Development 2026 seminar, organised as part of the lawmaker’s constituency development initiatives.
The programme focused on equipping media practitioners with digital skills and resources to enhance reporting on agriculture, food safety and other issues of public interest.
The initiative is also expected to support more effective use of digital tools in gathering, producing and disseminating development-focused content.
Public Opinion
Speaking at the event, Atu urged beneficiaries to use the tools and knowledge responsibly, emphasising the critical role of the media in informing citizens, shaping public opinion and promoting development.
He encouraged journalists and content creators to leverage digital platforms to promote agriculture and spotlight opportunities across the agricultural value chain, particularly for young Nigerians.
He said; “We must encourage and promote aggressive agricultural activities in the South-East, but we must also raise serious awareness about dangerous processing and preservation practices among farmers, food processors and retailers within the food supply chain.”
The lawmaker also urged journalists to intensify public enlightenment on the dangers of harmful and unapproved chemicals used in food preservation.
“We must begin to change the way we process and preserve our foods and fruits.
We must reject the dangerous practice of using harmful chemicals and substances in the name of food preservation or accelerated ripening.
We cannot continue to ignore what happens between the farm and our dining tables, ” he stated.
He said responsible reporting could help protect public health, promote safer agricultural practices and encourage accountability across the food production chain.
“The real empowerment is the knowledge, responsibility and capacity to use those tools to educate our people and raise strategic awareness about the existential threats confronting our communities.” he said.
“Agriculture must thrive in the South-East. Our farmers must be encouraged. Food production must increase. But food safety must be at the heart of that agricultural revolution and this is where our media practitioners, journalists, content creators and young communicators have a critical role to play,” Atu explained.
Agricultural Communication
Experts from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Professor Chidi Ezinwa, Dr. Maxwell Ngene and Dr. Samson Alugwu, facilitated sessions on agricultural communication, food safety and responsible reporting.
The Enugu State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Obinna Ogbuka, commended Atu, describing the resource persons and focus of the training as evidence of his commitment to strengthening professional capacity in the media.
The empowerment benefited 79 participants drawn from the media and youth, combining skills development with modern working tools to improve their capacity to produce timely, accurate and impactful content.
The intervention ultimately positions the beneficiaries to deploy the cameras, phones, computers and other communication gadgets not merely for entertainment, but as instruments for public enlightenment, responsible journalism, agricultural promotion, health awareness and development communication.
