The summit was conceptualized and co-organised by NAWOJ and CEEDEE Resources, a leading Consultancy outfit based in Ibadan.
The one week long activities which began with a thanksgiving service held at Oritamefa Baptist Church, Ibadan on Sunday 27th October, 2024. has NAWOJ Members across the state gathered to express gratitude for blessings throughout the year and to seek guidance for the week ahead.
The summit which cuts across the importance of development in Broadcasting was graced by known individuals in the media industry.
The summit lecture was delivered by renowned Editor and former commissioner for Information in Osun State, Funke Egbemode.
In her paper presentation, Hon. Funke Egbemode, the guest speaker revealed that broadcast journalism is a major contributor to the development of every sector of the nation.
“Broadcasting dates back to the days of our forefathers when the town crier gives information and from there we come to this place where broadcast journalism is contributing to the development of every facet, every sector of the national life.
“We are now impacting, most especially the entertainment industry. A lot of our movies stars, our music stars owe their fame and success to broadcast journalism and what we are now getting as a product and pushing our as a national commodity is plenty of thanks to what the broadcast industry has been able to do.
She also noted that there is a need for the broadcast industry to constantly engage the government in a bid to partner with the government.
“The broadcast industry has its challenges just like many others, so how do we make the government see us as friends and partners? We need to work with them, we need to talk to them, we need to constantly engage them. But, we can’t do that as individuals, we need to come together as bodies under the umbrella of our different professional bodies, NUJ, NGE, NAWOJ.
“We need to continue to engage them so that they can know that if we are not doing well the country will suffer.”
Speaking further, she revealed that for female professionals, men bosses are not the challenge however, being a female is enough challenge on its own.
“For women in journalism, our charge is quite tough because we have to keep being women while we are also being effective professionals.
“Male bosses in newsroom are not the problem, what the problem is with the female professionals is that we are women and we have a God ordained assignment, to keep the earth replenish, to continue to make the world work, we have an assignment to make marriages work, to raise children.
“That assignment always collides with our assignment as professionals. Women should know that apart from being professionals, they are also professional mothers, professional wives. They have more than one career so they need to o work harder than men.”
While speaking, the Chairman of the event, Deacon Owolabi Oladejo, emphasized that women journalist should strive to be the best in their career.
“Broadcasters have quite a great deal of work to do because as broadcasters, you set agenda for people, you entertain people, you inform people. Unfortunately, most of us think only of the entertainment side.
“Women, just like every journalist should ensure they be the best, be the best of whatever you are doing. There is no need going into it if you don’t want to excel in it. There is no need attempting what you know you don’t want to excel in.
“That you are a female journalist does not give you any disadvantage, you only need to seek to be the best.”
He further called on the government to ensure working together with the broadcast industry to foster development.
“We need to let the government know that they must carry everybody along, that development that is lopsided cannot achieve anything, hence the need for development in every sector.”
In his words, the Chief Press Secretary of the Oyo State Government, Pastor Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said that there is need for collaboration within the media industry to ensure growth in the industry.
“For us to have real development in the broadcast industry as the theme of the Summit “Broadcasting for development”, every sector of the society must be carried along, the girl child, the boy child, the vulnerable, the disabled.
“The media industry have to grow and the way of growing is collaboration. If you want the government to pay attention to you, you have to grow and how to grow is for everybody to come together.
“Let’s come together and government will attend to us.”
In his goodwill message, the NUJ Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter also called on media owners to endeavor to renumerate journalist adequately.
The reality today is that broadcast journalists or broadcast professionals must continuously up their games by being more digitally friendly people who daily conduct their activities in the area of disseminanating information to the masses of the country.
“The media owners must also come to the realization of the fact that journalists, reporters, broadcasters are not been paid their dues. What they get in return for what they put in is not commensurate with the task at hand, so we have to encourage our people, the media owners and media managers to renumerate journalists in a way that will boost their morale to give their best in their various duty post.”
Mrs Omolola Alamu, the Oyo State NAWOJ chairperson, while speaking to journalists, said that women professionals are no longer relegated to the background as it used to be before now.
“We are no longer singing what the ownership of media houses wants us to sing. We want to state the truth state of the nation. We want to say it as it is, we want to report it as we see it and that is why we are bringing out ‘Broadcasting for Development.’
“Now we have women who are shattering the glass ceiling, we are no more relegated to the background again as it used to be.”
The summit was chaired by, Deacon Owolabi Oladejo, founder/ president, Metropolitan Broadcasting Service, owners of Impact Business Radio, Impact Africa Television and Impact Polytechnic, who also doubled as the Chairman, Western Zone, Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria, BON,
The summit which was a part of the events lined up for the Oyo State NAWOJ week, was a collaborative work of CEEDEE Resources and Oyo State NAWOJ.