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Experts in the strongly emerging new or alternative media have advocated professionalizing the sub sector in Nigeria for optimum benefits.
These and other issues of concern were the hallmarks of two-day training in New Media in Lagos organized by the African Media Network in conjunction with the Nigerian Press Council (NPC)
The chief executive of the African Media Network, Mr. Aniekan John Umanah at his opening speech of the event tasked Nigerian media practitioners and especially those with bias in the new media to take seriously the new rave as it has come to stay and would rather be professionalized for maximum benefits.
The training focused on Optimizing New Media Opportunities and Managing Electronic Vandalism and featured many experts that delivered lectures and coached over 70 participants on the gains of the sector and the details.
They challenged the Nigerian media practitioners, public and private sector to develop more interest in it and also see it as means of livelihood and abundant wealth and career opportunities the entire world taps into.
At the policy level, the Nigerian government in 2015 enacted the Nigeria Cyber Crime Act, thereby regulating the sector as it pertains to abuses and best practice.
Umanah noted that the earlier Nigerians developed interest in the sub sector the better for the economy that relies mainly on proper information and its dissemination.
Making ample references to the scourge and rave of the social media in Nigeria and the rest of the world, participants agreed that since Nigeria is the sixth largest nation in the world on internet penetration and the indisputable number one in Africa, there is every need to see the new media as an industry on its own that deserves adequate attention and orderly operation.
With close to 96m internet users and about 18m users of the various classes and platform of the social media, the new media presents a virile business opportunity for the public and private sector as awareness and campaign battleground of immense depth and possibilities.
Lectures were presented in six key areas that deepened the knowledge of participants who all agreed that the benefits were enormous.
The training that had the media endorsement and sponsorship of The Sun Publishing also attracted state governments such those of Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa and others who were represented by government officials.
