By Chinonye Anyatonwu
The Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration And Safety Agency,(NIMASA) Dr Bashir Jamoh, has said that the one day workshop held for the Maritime Reporters is not going to be a one stop workshop rather part of series in line for the media to be more educative and knowledge able.
Jamoh said these at a one day workshop organised recently in Lagos, by The Nigerian Army School of Public Relations And Information,(NASPRI) in collaboration with Nigerian Maritime Administration And Safety Agency,(NIMASA), themed, “An assessment of the pattern of reportage among Nigerian Maritime Journalists; Implications for preservation of National Security Direct Investment”.
Dr. Jamoh who was represented by the Special Assistant on Communications & Strategy , Mr Ubong Essien, said that as a coast nation, there was need to make people to be aware of the maritime strength and that it is the responsibility of the press to achieve that feat.
“We count on you to do your best as we also strive to do on our part and we will keep supporting you all,” he said.
Speaking at the training held at NASPRI Auditorium, Bonny Cantonment, Victoria Island Lagos, the Acting Commandant of NASPRI, Colonel Aliyu Yusuf in his opening remark, said that it is necessary to team up with the NIMASA for the purpose of training the Maritime Journalists in this period of security challenges and economic importance of the Maritime sector.
“It is often said that learning is a process that requires training and retraining. so the Nigerian school of Public Relation and Information dimed it necessary to synergies with NIMASA to organize training workshop for maritime reporters”, he said
He praised the NIMASA, and chief of Army Staff, the resource persons who he described as being well grounded as well as all the
participants for their effort.
Speaking on Ethics, Skills and Personal Qualities to improve Maritime Reportage, Prof. Abigail Ogwezz-Ndisika, from the Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos, tasked the participants to ensure that no matter the challenges faced, it should not be an impulsion for them to undermine the countries security and thus drive away investors, urged the participants to always be guided by rules of engagement while reporting.
Dr. Ogwezzy advised that reporters should try as much as possible to be ethical which is knowing what is right or wrong, also understanding the sector they work in.
Above all, she said “reporters should be diligent to ascertain the truth in their publications and ensure to be fair in all reporting”.
On the topic, “Narrative and Messaging”, The acting Commandant of the NASPRI school, Col. Aliyu Yusuf stated that the “The source is the originator or formulator of the message, so the role of the source in the communication process goes beyond merely formulating the message, the source can also be a receiver of the message”.
He added that for a message to gain more credibility and to achieve the desired effects, third party testifiers are often used.
Continuing, Yusuf said that “Building a positive reputation for your organisation as public relations officer requires a proper understanding of message formulation, target audience analysis and effective understanding of the environment,” he said.
Another speaker lectured on the topic, “Preserving National Security and the Attraction of FDI through Unbiased Reportage”, presented by Mr. Marce Anyanwu. He noted that “Maritime Reporters through unbiased reportage of the Maritime sector can influence the preservation of the nation’s security and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country by their training and skills”
He said a maritime reporter is looked upon with reverence as the purveyor of the information, who mounts surveillance on society and with his sense of news judgment gathers stories that affect society and distils them into the days news.
He however cautioned journalists not to descend into what Professor Nwosu called “The vulture mentality in journalism”.
Speaking also on “Effective Use of the New Media for Responsive Maritime Reporting” Dr. Olunifesi Suraj. said that the “Number and diversity of sources of information will continue to multiply rapidly, and makes it more challenging to get your messages to the right persons with enough frequency so that they can hear it”. He posited that in an emergency, it is critical to combine traditional outreach methods with the best social media approaches to reach as many people as possible, and as quickly as possible with timely, accurate information.
He however stated that in a digital world, information can spread globally within a seconds and opinions are formed very quickly, and once they are formed, they are difficult to change. Adding that communication are expected to respond immediately to feed the demand for information.
In his closing remarks, Yusuf advised that,”Our individual responsibility is to try our best through reporting, see how we could contribute our quota towards enhancing the economy of these country,”
“All of us have one thing or the other to contribute, either political or economic development, we all need to come together and see what we can do to developed these country”.
He thanked NIMASA for their support, urging participants to put into practice what they
learned in their reports.
