By Tony Eri
Press Secretary to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Mr. Christian Aburime has identified journalists and the journalism profession as pivotal to development of the society.
Mr. Aburime stated this during the annual end of year event of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Anambra State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, held in Awka.
According to the Press Secretary, Governor Soludo appreciates the role of the media in development work and acknowledged the hazards faced by journalists in their line of work.
He however described the partnership between journalists and the Anambra State government as imperative and urged journalists to consider the interest of ndi Anambra and the state government when publishing their reports.
Mr. Aburime condemned the act of casting misleading and sensational headlines, appealed to journalists to practice responsible journalism and encouraged them to caption headlines accurately as well as balance their reports.
Earlier, the National Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndị Igbo who was Chairman of the Occasion, Chief Damian Okeke Ogene, bemoaned the level of disregard presently faced by journalists, calling on members of the society to rise up and accord them due respect.
On his part, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council, Chief Chuks Ilozue, clarified that the Correspondents’ Chapel is an arm of the NUJ whose medium are headquartered outside Anambra.
Speaking on “The evolution of modern journalism: challenges and opportunities”, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Paul University Awka, Prof. Stella Chinyere Okunna, who was the keynote speaker, urged traditional journalists to become internet-savvy in this era of digital media and charged them as professionals to take their publications to social media and compete with bloggers/social media journalists, wielding their powers responsibly.
Awards of Excellence were conferred on the Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Charles Esimone, the Acting Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu, and the Transition Committee Chairman for Onitsha South Local Government Area, Chief Emeka Joseph Orji.
The Transition Committee Chairman for Dunukofia, Hon. Augustine Onyemobi, Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council, Dr. Odogwu Emeka among others, attended the event.
