By Chinwendu Agoha (Media & Governance Reporter)
Journalists in Akwa Ibom State, on Friday, held the first-ever Media Stakeholders Summit in Akwa Ibom state, South South, Nigeria.
The one-day Summit, with the theme ‘The State of the Media in Akwa Ibom State: The Way Forward’, held at 10 a.m. on Friday, 20 September 2024, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Uyo.
Secretary of the Summit, Mr Kufre Etuk, Editor, The Crest newspaper, announced the Media Summit in an earlier statement. He said the Summit is designed to bring reporters, editors, and publishers in Akwa Ibom State together for a “much-needed stocktaking".
The event was 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.
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, presented goodwill messages at the Summit.
Dr. (Mrs.) Idongesit Ashameri, a former Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State, spoke 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 spoke on ‘The Challenges of Media Industry in Akwa Ibom State’ and Mr Ekemini Simon, an award-winning journalist with The Mail newspaper, Uyo, who also spoke 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, however examined press freedom in Akwa Ibom, while Mr Ukpong, the Regional Editor of Premium Times, spoke on Ethical and Responsible Journalism in the state.
The Summit, which was strictly by invitation, had two sessions: a Pre-Summit session with media relations managers and a Stakeholders’ Business session. NNL.
