Dangote urges Journalists to Explore business side of Professions
President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has urged journalists to always exhibit a high sense of professionalism and ethical standard in the discharge of their duties as the watchdogs of the society.
Dangote spoke on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at a three-day training sponsored by his company for journalists in the Southwest.
Speaking through the group’s Senior General Manager, Branding and Communication, Mr. Sunday Esan, Africa’s leading industrialist said the role of the journalists is critical in the society as the governed and the government both rely solely on the media for information to engender a better society.
He said journalists cannot afford to be less professional or unethical in meeting the yearnings of the society.
The participants were advised to always look at the business side of their profession while discharging their duties.
Speaking one after another during the training with the theme: The Convergence Journalism, organised by Folio Media and Creative Academy, the resource persons noted that though journalism ethics remain sacrosanct, the practitioners must not lose sight of the marketing side of their job.
A Communication and Brand Management expert, Dr. Victor Ogwezzy, said all employees must make marketing their business for their organisations to survive.
The Director of Special Programmes at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Dr. Jide Johnson, underscored the essence of the media in the society.
A former Managing Editor and a Media Career Development Specialist, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, informed the participants that while some media practitioners still think they are gate keepers, the social media have dismantled the gate and thrown it wide open for access to information.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Ajibola Basiru, has urged the media to always speak truth to power and expose corruption.
