By Helen Okechukwu
The Union of Campus Journalists of the University of Port Harcourt (UCJ-UNIPORT) has inaugurated its newly elected executives and standing committee members for the smooth running of the union’s activities and the general welfare of students.
Hosted virtually via Google Meet, the inauguration ceremony saw the executives taking their oath of office with about thirty other attendees witnessing the historic occasion.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Confidence B. Kponi, the immediate past president who is returning for another term of office urged the newly elected executives to work hard to justify the trust reposed in them by the members.
He also called for strong cooperation amongst them so that they can achieve all they set out to do.
Speaking on “Why Campus Journalism: CJs’ Role in the Advancement of Media Literacy,” Ms. Joke Kujenya, a senior journalist and Mentor, who is the Executive-in-Charge, Media Mentors Leadership Academy (MMLA), a mentoring outfit, corroborated the call on the newly elected officers to do their best and work together as a team.
Kujenya also advised the student journalists to be “critical thinkers in reporting issues such as student safety, wellness, academic standards, and campus policies,” stressing that campus journalists should promote transparency, unity and fairness between students and the university management if they get a good grasp of the profession.
“Campus journalism serves as a stepping stone to career life in the mainstream media; thus, each student must develop the ability to assess, analyze, evaluate, and create media content in a variety of forms.
“For several reasons, campus journalism is imperative, primarily because it provides a platform for students to express their perspectives on various issues that help to enhance their critical thinking and communication skills, which are essential for success in their potential career,” Kujenya said.
She further charged the UNIPORT campus journalists on the need for media literacy and on the importance of fact-checking, through evaluating sources out to deface the image of the institution through misinformation, disinformation and fake news.
She urged the campus journalists to “work with the university administrators and faculty to promote media literacy as an essential skill for students to develop, and also advocated for its inclusion in the curriculum.
“Directly teach media literacy skills on how to identify bias in news coverage, and stress fact-checking of sources on the open campus community beyond the mass communications’ students,” she added.
After the swearing-in of its officers, the pioneer president of the Union and ex-officio member, Wisdom Okezie, who is now a Media Personality and Reporter for a Lagos-based publishing outfit, congratulated the incoming executives.
Wisdom noted that the Union which was founded in March 2021, has gone far in just two years, despite inadequate “financial support especially from stakeholders whom we expected would have keyed into the vision.”
He outlined the commendable prospects of the UCJ-UNIPORT as the first official media on campus to receive endorsement from the Students’ Union Government (SUG), and the Dean of Students Affairs Unit to transmit information from elections on the campus each year to the university community.
“Our objective coverage gave us wider acceptance, respect, and the much-desired publicity to blossom through those turbulent times,” he said.
Moved by the efforts of his successor, Confidence Kponi, he buttressed the points that the Union has tremendously improved in its commitment to maintain and carry out training, conferences, workshops both within the campus as well as in collaboration with notable media organizations.
“I was also excited when I read of members of our great union winning awards, being nominated and participating in top-rated media-based discussions facilitated by the very best in both the broadcast, print and new media, in Nigeria.
“I want to say with all seriousness and in all sincerity, that I am proud of your individual and collective achievements,” he added.
Wisdom further urged the university management and communications department to embrace the student journalism outfit and recognize same as an Industrial Training (IT) placement option for students.
After the presentations, the newly elected executives were sworn-in to assume their respective offices.
The newly sworn-in UCJ-UNIPORT executives are Mr. Confidence Kponi, who returned as the Union President, Ms. Helen Ogbowu Okechukwu, Vice President, Ms. Ezinne Okoroafor, Public Relations Officer, Ms. Vivian Eberechukwu, General Secretary and Favour Onyige, Financial Secretary, respectively.
Others are members of the Publicity Committee, headed by Ezinne Okoroafor, with Abraham Ike, Gift Ngadiba and Esther Eton.
Also, the Editorial and Production committee led by Edeki Ewomazino as Editor-in-Chief with Jason, Precious Umeh, Chidima Clement and Precious Nkemjika as members.
Financial Committee members are led by the Vice President, Ms. Okechukwu, with Success Michael and Mercy Agha, as members.
Also, in attendance at the 2nd UCJ-UNIPORT inauguration program were other special guests including Mr. Ayoola Adeleke, NUCJ South-South Zonal Secretary and erstwhile President of UCJ Ilorin, Adedimeji Quayyım Abdul-Hafeez, among others.
