As part of activities celebrating the 2025 Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council Press Week, union members gathered for a thanksgiving service at World Harvest Ministries, Jikwoyi, seeking spiritual strength amid increasing challenges in the media landscape.
Delivering a sermon titled “Seeking Deliverance from the Athens Troubles of Life”, Archbishop Professor Leonard Bature Kawas urged journalists and other congregants to remain spiritually vigilant and courageous in navigating the pressures of life and profession.
Referencing Matthew 16:18-19, the Archbishop reminded worshippers of their divine authority to positively influence their environment, urging them not to succumb to fear, false prophecies, or the enemy’s manipulations.
“There is a battle at every level of life,” he declared. “You must understand your spiritual identity and be alert. Christians have the power to bind and to loose. You must reject the devil at every turn.”
The Thanksgiving service brought together Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths—an inspiring display of unity within the NUJ FCT community.
Speaking during the service, the Press Week Organising Committee Chairperson, Evelyn Onyilo, described the event as one of gratitude to God for sustaining the union and guiding its leadership.
She paid glowing tribute to the NUJ FCT Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, commending her for her resilience and visionary leadership over the past seven months.
“She faced numerous battles and emerged victorious—not by her strength, but by the Spirit of God,” Onyilo said. “She has represented the union with courage and integrity. NUJ FCT is rising under her watch.”
In her remarks following the service, Comrade Grace Ike described the Press Week’s theme—“Journalism in a Changing World: Press Freedom, Media, Democracy, and Society”—as timely and vital.
She reaffirmed the union’s steadfast commitment to press freedom while condemning rising efforts to silence journalists across the country.
“Press freedom is non-negotiable,” she stressed. “Despite the threats—whether from misinformation, disinformation, or intimidation—journalists will continue to speak truth to power.
“We are workers in the vineyard of truth, and as today’s sermon affirmed, what we declare shall be established. We declare press freedom for every Nigerian journalist, particularly those in the FCT,” she concluded.
The NUJ Press Week continues with a line-up of events designed to deepen professional solidarity, reinforce the importance of free and responsible journalism, and reflect the evolving role of the media in Nigeria’s democracy, particularly in this age of artificial intelligence.
