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By Henry Uche
The Commissioner for Insurance/CEO, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr. Sunday Thomas, alongside other stakeholders in the communication industry have charged the media to frantically pursue value addition through their reportage for national development.
The commissioner who was represented by Head, Corporate Communication / Market Development at NAICOM, Mr. Rasaaq Salami, gave this charge over the weekend in Lagos at the launch of Business Journal newspaper, while admonishing media practitioners on the need to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance their capacity for sustainable growth and profitability.
“Information is key and when we have a credible medium through which we disseminate this information, the people are better informed. Beyond the traditional role of the media which is to entertain and educate, I encouraged the Business Journal newspaper to be different, unique and pursue quality Journalism. The Commission will continue to support the media where and when necessary,” he added.
The keynote speaker at the launch, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), who spoke on the theme, “The Media in National Development: Successes, Challenges & Prospects” reminded the media of its fundamental roles towards national development.
NCC boss said: “The media no doubt has been the bastion of entrenching good governance and promoting development in the country. The media in Nigeria has principally played the protagonist role to midwife the path of the liberalisation of the telecom sector in Nigeria.
“We cannot forget the contribution of the media which includes the dedicated information and communication and technology pages in our national dailies and numerous related programmes of the electronic media which comprises the radio and television. The media have indeed paid their dues in initiating government policies in support of the growth of the sector.”
Danbatta who was represented by Mrs. Nnenna Ukoha, Head, SIM Registration Project at NCC, noted that, “The objective of development communication entails the media to carry out development tasks within the ambit of the society.”
The media, he said, “should to remain a veritable channel for the wide range of development campaigns which the NCC has effectively used. The media has also facilitated the achievement of government developmental goals and kept the public abreast of the state of development in the society. “The practitioners, therefore, must maintain ethics, standard, integrity, and ensure that professionalism and development guide editorial policy and conduct. The media plays a double-edged role which will either enhance or derail national development.”
He enjoined the media to continue to carry out positive development tasks in line with national established policies and national ethics which are discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self-reliance and patriotism as stipulated in Sections 23 and 24 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“The media should be socially responsible in carrying out developmental tasks in a manner that fosters national development and such developmental goals should be based on a bottom-top approach,” aimed at improving quality of all aspect of peoples’ lives ranging from economic, political, socio-culture and even technological strength. “The media shall at all times be free to uphold fundamental objectives contained in the Constitution by holding the government responsible and accountable to the people.”
Speaking on, “AI In Journalism: Where Is The Media Headed & What Becomes of Journalists?, Mr Tim Akano, Managing Director/CEO, New Horizons Limited, emphasised the need for media practitioners to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to remain relevant even as he called for the immediate establishment of www.Journalism AI.ng immediately with a view to making the benefits of AI more accessible and counter inequalities in the global news media.
AI, according to him, is the simulation or hacking of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, noting that as of 2020, over 40 percent of the top 70 news organisations worldwide used AI in the media. Akano said: “Artificial Intelligence is the biggest disruptor of the creation, production, distribution, consumption, and archiving of news products and services. He noted that the the new curriculum for journalism that mirrors today’s realities is required urgently in schools, urging that publishers should embrace Platforms by “meet your audience where they are.”
He enjoined publishers to “Publish at the convenience of the readers, not the newsroom; convert casual free readers to loyal partners who pay and recommend content to others; experiment with different monetisation strategies; embrace diverse strategic partnerships; integrate and encourage Mobile Journalism; be Data-Driven in your Decision-making; marry the AI Beast before it pushes you to join the rank of useless humans whose population is presently estimated at three (3) billion worldwide by the World Economic Forum (WEF).”
