Redefine journalism practice, don tasks media practitioners

A former professor of Political Communication in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof Ayo Olukotun, has called on media practitioners to redefine the practice of journalism by ensuring that journalists become owners of media.
He said this in his lecture titled ‘Governance and the Media in an Emergent Democracy: A Study of the Role, Record and Changing Profile of the Nigerian Media 199-2017,’ being a maiden an inaugural lecture for Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, in the Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, delivered at the Adeola Odutola Hall, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state on Wednesday.
According to the don, notwithstanding its limitations, the Nigerian media has creditably discharged its responsibility although it obviously need to do even more in the years ahead considering that there is no enough pleasure in the land.
He posited that “looking ahead, the media will have to maintain, even enlarge the crusading and reformist outlooks with which they have been historically associated. To do this, they must increase efforts to rid their ranks of corruption, as well as ensure that employers of media pay their workers, as and at when due.
“Journalists should not be content with merely reflecting society, but must rise above the corrupt polity by demonstrating that they take the values they canvass seriously,” the retired don said.
Prof Olukotun suggested that the media would still be stronger and become better instruments of national integration if the organisations that cater to a national audience make conscious efforts to carry along perspectives that are based in regions other than the ones in which they are located.
“Of course, there is nothing wrong with regional newspapers or even community ones, but those must be so defined and should avoid being so provincial than they are of little national value,” he said.
In his goodwill message, Founder/Senior Pastor of Trinity House,Pastor Ituah Ighodalo,spoke on the importance of giving, stated that it promotes, protects and makes God to favour man stressing that giving makes the world a better place a well as immortalising people.
The Oba (Dr) Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair of Governance, Department of Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, according to the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN), was approved by the University, last year and has generated about N150 million which has been invested in an enterprise that can never fail.
“We hope to use whatever we get from that investment to fund a project, we therefore appeal to all to continue to assist us so that the Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair of Governance will live forever,”he said.