Media Stakeholders’ In Ekiti Tasks FG To Connect Government Owned Media Houses To National Grid

By Olarewaju Falayi

Media Stakeholders’ who assembled in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday at the State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Council Press Centre for a one day roundtable discussion on proffering solutions to media challenges have tasked the Federal Government of Nigeria to do everything possible to connect Government Owned Media Houses in the Country to the National Grid to solve power problems bedevilling the media organizations in the Country.

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Rising from the one day roundtable discussion on proffering solutions to the media challenges, the State Secretary of the Ekiti State NUJ Council, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, said the gathering in its communique which was issued at the end of the meeting, “called on both the Federal and State governments to invest in government owned media’s, equip them with modern facilities and connect them to the National Grid”.

The communique which was sent to the Treasure Newspaper also added, that, “the Participants has agreed that there is a need for periodic training and retraining of media professionals to keep them abreast of new developments and innovations in the Journalism industry in the Country”.

The roundtable meeting also called on the broadcasters to desist from reading too many paragraphs during newspaper review programmes as such development has continued to kill the newspaper companies.

The communique appealed to media practitioners in the Country to take the issue of objectivity as one of the core values of Journalism, which must be upheld at all times irregardless of the situations. 

The participants enjoined the need for the Journalists to go beyond the surface but should always dig deep in their reports, as well as imbibing the culture of Investigative Journalism, which will be beneficial to the society.

The men of the pen profession were also called upon to ensure they acquired and possessed the right attitude towards the media industry for the society to respect and regard the media while the curriculum of various institutions offering journalism courses should be reviewed to meet up with the modern day realities.

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 It was equally agreed that all the Media Organizations and their proprietors must place high priority on the welfare and well-being of their employees, so that Journalists will not be distracted with gratifications.

The communique emphasized further on the need for proper legislation to empower NUJ to regulate media activities such that would standardized the profession and create avenue to address issues of quackery and instill discipline.

Also, the communique reiterated on the need for media practitioners to agree that Media organizations should explore other areas by thinking outside the box, in a bid to survive amidst the current hike in fuel price.

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