We want to see journalists who care about Nigeria, says MTN chief
The Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Nigeria, Tobe Okigbo, has said the telecommunications giant cares about journalists and their profession.
He said the company sponsored a six-month training programme for 22 journalists from different media houses to see that they care about Nigeria and what it should become.
“What we want to see at the end of the day are journalists who, through their work – whatever part of journalism you play – will prove that you are the fourth estate of the realm; that you care about this country, that you’re contributing to making this country the kind of place we want to live in.
“We want you to bring your best self to this programme, to be involved fully in everything that you are doing and, at the end of the day, to be as proud of yourselves as you want to feel,” he said.
Okigbo spoke virtually at the opening of the training programme holding at the School of Media and Communication (SMC) at Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), Lagos, for its Innovation Programme (MIP).
The training programme is in continuation of the company’s drive to equip media practitioners with requisite skills to produce factual and impactful stories.
The 22 participants, who were selected from the mainstream and new media, were shortlisted from a pool of over 3,000 applications after rigorous screenings.
Okigbo urged participants to put their best efforts into get the best result from the programme.
He described the MIP as one of the most significant interventions by MTN Nigeria.
He said: “I think you are privileged. I think there are only 22 of you. The last I checked, there were more than 3,000 people that applied to do MIP from all walks of life. Some of them are serving military officers, commissioners, people in government, and people from everywhere.”
Welcoming participants to the university, the Dean of SMC, Dr. Ikechukwu Obiaya, expressed optimism that the trainees would be transformed at the end of the programme.
Obiaya, who was represented by the acting Dean, Prof. Ngozi Okpara, noted that the programme would challenge the participants’ creative thinking and motivate them to evolve their practice in line with the media landscape.
“You know that the media landscape in Nigeria and globally is changing. For you to survive and thrive, you must be able to do much more than others. “So, we are grateful to MTN because without them, we would not be here. They have been generous towards this mission – to have a better media landscape in Nigeria, “ he saidd.
“This sponsorship by MTN is not just to be generous and to allow you to come here. But it is also a powerful statement of belief in the future of media in the world and in Nigeria.
“The media landscape in Nigeria is changing every day. So, over the next six months, this fully-funded programme will equip you with cutting-edge tools, to be transformed; to be more engaging to your different stakeholders.”
To enable the participants fully utilise the opportunity, MTN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Chineze Olutoye, advised the participants to ensure they learn and practicalise something new.
