The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on its members to upgrade their skills by embracing digital technology.
The Chairman of Kwara Council of the union, Mr AbdulLateef Hammed, made the appeal on Sunday at the opening of a capacity building for journalists in the state.
Hammed spoke during a 5-day training on Digital Marketing for NUJ members in collaboration with Mohammed-Ajia Ibrahim Foundation (MAI Foundation), at the NUJ Press Centre, Ilorin.
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The chairman said digital technological skills would enable them to work faster and become more efficient in their service delivery.
He said that the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was a blessing, notwithstanding its attendant negative impact on society.
He also said the benefits of ICT were more acknowledged in the media industry, pointing out that it brought revolutionary trends to the industry.
The chairman said ICT has eased information dissemination, adding that it aids news to be broken instantaneously as it breaks.
He, however, regretted that most journalists were yet to be abreast of the new trends in technology.
“You will be marveled to still see some of our colleagues writing and reading news stories from papers in broadcasting stations when the operation in the industry is becoming paperless.
“For those in print, except you want to jot down, it is just inexplicable for one to be seen still writing on papers, be it feature articles and news stories.
“The time is now to be digital in our general operations as ICT makes our work seamless and also helps us to be financially independent.
“We can also explore genuine and legitimate windows of opportunity that abound in the facility to wriggle ourselves out of the lingering scarce resources in the media industry,” he advised.
According to him, the ICT consultant engaged in the training will expose the participants to numerous areas in digital marketing that will stimulate interest in wanting to go the way of ICT.
“Whether we like it or not, it is the new paradigm, away from the micro-culture of our economy, that is oil-driven and heavily dependent,” he said.
The chairman thanked the sponsor and founder of MAI Foundation for sponsoring the training.
The state Commissioner for Communication, Mrs Abosede Buraimoh, urged the trainees to make use of the opportunity and build themselves in line with their work to become professionals.
She also commended the MAI Foundation for the initiative and financial support to make journalists more efficient.
The sponsor of MAI Foundation, Alhaji Mohammed Ajia, said the foundation had carried out activities that involved human development and wished to extend the kind gesture to journalists.
He, therefore, urged the participants to maximise the opportunity and compete with other journalists around the world through acquired skills on ICT. (NAN)
