By Jonathan Ugbal
The future of the media profession will take center stage this weekend at Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital as journalists in Akwa Ibom State are set to hold the first-ever Media Stakeholders Summit in the state.
The one-day Summit, with the theme, “The State of the Media in Akwa Ibom State: The Way Forward,” will be held by 10:00 AM on Friday, September 20th 2024, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Press Centre, Uyo, a press statement issued last weekend by the Secretary of the Summit, Mr Kufre Etuk, Editor, The Crest newspaper says.
The Summit, which will bring reporters, editors, and publishers in Akwa Ibom State together for a “much-needed stocktaking,” will be co-chaired by Comrade Israel Umoh, a former Chairman of the NUJ and Publisher of Straightnews newspaper and Mr Cletus Ukpong, the Regional Editor of South-South/South-East Premium Times.
He said the Chairman of NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Comrade Amos Etuk, and the Chancellor of Conference of Online Publishers, Akwa Ibom State (COOPA), Comrade Utitofon Morgan Ukpong, would present goodwill messages at the Summit.
Dr. (Mrs.) Idongesit Ashameri, a former Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State, will speak at the summit on the topic “Media Practice in Akwa Ibom: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”
Other Speakers are Mr Idorenyin Aquaisua, Publisher of MediaPost International, who will speak on “The Challenges of Media Industry in Akwa Ibom State,” and Mr Ekemini Simon, an award-winning journalist with The Mail newspaper, Uyo, who will speak on “Opportunities for Media Sustainability in Akwa Ibom State.”
Otuekong Franklyn Isong, Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network (CHRAN), an internationally recognised human rights and pro-democracy organisation in Nigeria, will examine press freedom in Akwa Ibom, while Mr. Ukpong, the Regional Editor of Premium Times, will speak on Ethical and Responsible Journalism in the state.
The statement said the Summit, which is strictly by invitation, will have two sessions: a Pre-Summit session with media relations managers and a Stakeholders’ Business session.