Politics
By Anayo Ezugwu
MICHAEL Ade Ojo, founder, Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, has raised alarm over the rising number of poor people in Nigeria. He called on the federal government to urgently arrest the general poverty in the country or risk hanger of the poor.
Speaking at the presentation of the book ‘Makers Of Nigerian Press’ written by Dayo Duyile, journalist, former director, Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, and senior lecturer in journalism and mass communication at Elizade University, Ojo said no amount of money is small in the present circumstances in Nigeria as things are tough for everybody.
According to him, it is no longer business as usual. “I hope something will be done by the government to arrest the general poverty that has overtaken the nation. It is unfortunate we are in this position where nobody is sure of his or her future, both the rich and the poor. The annoyance of the poor should only be imagined as no one prays for it to come. We pray that things change in this country if we are to avert terrible incidences,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Segun Osoba, a former Governor of Ogun State and chairman of the event, said Duyile is the only journalist that got to the peak of his journalism profession before switching to the academia. He said the book, ‘Makers of Nigerian Press,’ was a must read for both students and practitioners of journalism in the country.
For the reviewer of the book, Lanre Arogundade, executive director, International Press Centre, IPC, Nigeria, noted that the book is not a mere narrative about past and present dramatis personae in the Nigerian Press, the impression of which the title may create. He said the book offers a richer menu, full of journalistic multivitamins, and therefore could perhaps have been more appropriately titled: The Making of the Nigerian Media.
According to him, the book could even be called the ‘History of Nigeria’, after all as Lateef Kayode Jakande, to whom this edition is deservedly dedicated and who is described by the author in chapter 88 as the Patriarch of modern Nigerian journalism, writes in the foreword: ‘The history of the Nigerian press is in many respects the history of Nigeria.’
“In offering this opinion, I reckon with the fact that this 782-page and 88-chapter book is not just about who-is-who in the Nigerian press, but also a panoramic, yet in-depth documentation and analysis of the processes, the events, the legislations, the regulatory frameworks, the challenges, the economic environment and the political processes that have been shaping the evolution of the Nigerian media since the establishment of the first newspaper – Iwe Irohin Fun Awon Egba ati Yoruba – in Abeokuta in 1859, about 160 years ago.
“The book also looks into some of the least researched media areas such as specialised reporting and the place of women in the Nigerian media. Indeed, in chapter 49, the author regrets the fact that not much study has been done on the issue of women in the Nigerian media and calls on media scholars and researchers to pick the gauntlet,” he said.
Speaking about the book, Duyile said publication of this book arose from his desire to produce a book on the evolution of the Nigerian press for educational needs, reading pleasure and for use in research works by scholars, who are seeking more information on the Nigerian mass media. He said the book presents the historical accounts and analysis of the pioneers, the proprietorial families and individuals who have contributed to the growth of journalism in Nigeria.
“The book is intended to serve historians, students of journalism and mass communications, especially in the area of media and society. It is also to serve foreign university students in America, Britain, Soviet Union, India, Jamaica, France, the African continent and the history and evolution of the Nigerian press, side by side with developments that took place within the periods covered. It will also be of use to local, national and international library institutions, both in Africa and overseas,” he said.
– Oct 23, 2019 @ 17:05 GMT |
Tags: Why FG must eradicate poverty in Nigeria – Elizade Varsity founder
