The resource persons at their table during the workshop.
Story by Dili Utomi.
A one day workshop has been organised by the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI), Bonny Camp, Victoria Island, Lagos in collaboration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). The workshop with the theme: An Assessment of The Pattern of Reportage Among Nigerian Maritime Journalists: Implications for Preservation of National Security and Foreign Direct Investment was meant to train Maritime Journalists and better equip them to do their jobs with consideration to national security and the inflow of investment into the country.
Col. Aliyu Yusuf presenting his lecture.
In an opening remark, the Acting Commandant of NASPRI, Colonel Aliyu Yusuf said that they deemed it necessary to team up with the NIMASA for the purpose of equipping the Maritime Journalists in this period of security challenges and also because of the economic importance of the Maritime sector. He praised the NIMASA, the chief of Army Staff, the resource persons who he described as being well grounded as well as all the participants.
Prof. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika during her lecture
One of the resource persons, Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika also remarked that the Maritime sector is the next thing after oil and added that the reason for this training cannot be overemphasised as she commended both NASPRI and NIMASA for the foresight in organising this workshop.
The training proper kick started after a brief tea break as the anchor of the programme, Major Joshua Eromosele Unuakhalu skillfully navigated through the programme of the day.
Mr. Marce O. Anyanwu presenting his lecture.
In her presentation titled: Ethics, Skills and Personal Qualities to Improve Maritime Reportage, Dr. Ogwezzy-Ndisika noted that “One of the social objectives of journalism is the dissemination of information in a fair manner”, she added that we should be more professional in our jobs as journalists”. Dr. Ogwezzy-Ndisika advised that we know the workings of the sector that we are engaged in and try as much as possible to be ethical which is knowing what is right or wrong and doing the right while leaving the wrong things. She also spoke on the code of ethics, the generic document that deals with how we do our work while promoting the principles of human right.
Dr. Olunifesi Suraj stepping out for his lecture.
The Commandant of the school, Col. Aliyu Yusuf taught on the topic: Narrative and Messaging stated that the “The source is the originator or formulator of the message. However, the role of the source in the communication process goes beyond merely formulating the message, the source can also be a receiver and the message”. He added that for a message to gain more credibility and beleivabilty to achieve the desired effects, third party testifiers are often used.
Mr. Ray Echebiri during his lecture.
The third lecture focused on
Preserving National Security and the Attraction of FDI through Unbiased Reportage as presented by Mr. Marce O. Anyanwu. He noted that “Maritime Reporters through unbiased reportage of the Maritime sector can influence the preservation of the nation’s security and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country by their training and skills” He however cautioned journalists not to descend into what Professor Nwosu called “The vulture mentality in journalism”.
A cross section of participants listening with rapt attention during the lecture.
The fourth lecture was titled: Effective Use of the New Media for Responsive Maritime Reporting and was carried out by Dr. Olunifesi Suraj. He noted that the “Number and diversity of sources of information will continue to multiply rapidly. That makes it more challenging to get your messages to the right persons with enough frequency so that they can hear it”. He posited that in an emergency, it is critical to combine traditional outreach methods with the best social media approaches to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible with timely, accurate information.
More picture of participants.
The presenter of the fifth lecture was Mr. Ray Echebiri who dealt with the topic: Best Practice in Maritime Journalism. He started with the principle of dealing with the three ‘Fs’, First, Fast and Factual information as steps to becoming the very best Journalist that one can be, he went on to stipulate the necessary conditions for winning the three ‘Fs’. Mr. Echebiri admonished that “Language and grammar make a world of difference”.
Award of certificates.
At the end of the training/workshop, the representative of the Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Ubong Essien highlighted the cooperation between his Agency and the NASPRI as he also commended the resource persons for their assiduousness. He thanked the participants and hoped that the knowlegde that they have acquired will further equip them in doing thrir jobs more professionally.
Certificates were awarded to participants as group pictures of lecturers with participants were snapped.
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