Nigeria: VC Tasks News Professionals On Self Development

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Matthew Onah - 19 January 2010

Yola — Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Yola (FUTY) Prof. Bashir Usman, has charged Nigerian professionals to keep themselves abreast of the current global trends in their various fields if they are to remain relevant.

Usman, who gave the advise at the opening of a two-week special computer training programme for 20 members of the Adamawa State Correspondents' Chapel, organised by the university, said the media industry like most knowledge-based industries, needed constant training and retraining to enable the practitioners perform their duties effectively.

He observed that globalisation calls for an urgent need to train Nigerian professionals in the emergent field of information and communication technology (ICT) so that they can be internationally competitive. ICT, he said, was at the core of the duties of a modern journalist, with the conversion of both print and broadcast equipment from the analogue to digital technology.

The Vice Chancellor stressed that any journalist who refuses to acquire competence in ICT skills, has no business being in the profession. He said FUTY was equipped with modern computing and other ICT equipment, ready to provide any kind of training to media practitioners in two weeks.

The 100-capacity computer laboratory facility was equipped for the university by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), a unit established by the Nigerian Communications Commission October 2003 to facilitate widespread availability and usage of network service and underserved areas, groups, institutions and communication through the country. Prof. Usman said, "Our university was selected as one of the tertiary institutions to benefit from the programme of USPF under its School Access programme (SAP), which is a broadcast band internet connectivity programme."

On the training, Usman said the university provided it as part of its cooperate social responsibility and in recognition of the important role the media play in education. He expressed the hope that the journalists would reciprocate this gesture by partnering with the institution in its drive to promote sound and quality education, as well as enthrone peace and harmony in their campuses.

Chairman of the Correspondents' Chapel, Mr. Mathew Onah thanked the university for the gesture and assured that knowledge acquired would be put to good use.