The Leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council has recognized the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and the Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Ndutimi Alaibe with an award of excellence for their various contributions to the practice and development of journalism in the state.
Also recognized are three members of the Federal House of Representatives from the State, Hon. Preye Oseke, Hon. Fred Agbedi and Hon. Isreal Sunny-Goli for their performance in the last three years and contribution towards journalism practice in the State.
While Gov. Diri was recognized as Media Icon of the Year award and Chief Ndutimi Alaibe awarded the NUJ Man of the Year award.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and the trio of Hon. Oseke, Hon. Agbedi and Hon. Sunny-Goli were awarded bag award of excellence. The management of the Nigerian Content, Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) also emerged as the Best Content Promoter of the Year.
Governor Douye Diri, while speaking at the secretariat of the NUJ tagged “NUJ Press Week 2022” with the theme “Investigative Journalism; Key for Peace and Development in Nigeria, urged media practitioners to rise to the occasion and counter the rising invasion of quack and yellow journalism into the media practice, “the essence, and the revered place of journalism as the fourth estate of the realm is been eroded by the unprofessional manner social media influencers and bloggers practice the trade”
Governor Diri, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, regretted that most social media practitioners don’t do proper background check before publication, wherefore, more often than naught they publish instigative and untrue stories, calling on the conventional media to rise to the challenge as their usefulness is greatly threatened by the social media.
Delivering the key note address, titled “Investigative Journalism: Key to Peace and Development in the Niger Delta”, the former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe called on media practitioners to follow the footsteps of legendary Earnest Sessi Ikoli in order to write against injustice and promote development journalism.
Alaibe, who was represented by a lecturer in the Department of Agriculture, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Doctor Achimota Dickson, charged journalists to beam their searchlight into the reason why the Federal Government and administrators of the NDDC have failed to execute the Niger Delta development master plan.
While the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Executive Officer, CEO Ayalla Group of Companies, Chief Robert Enogha said investigative journalism should not always be about reporting a negative and secretive occurrences advising newsmen in Bayelsa State to tell the good story of the Ijaw man.
The Royal Father of the day, Chairman, Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo while highlighting the significance of investigative journalism to societal development, explained that it is only through such reportage that the alleged involvement of top government functionaries and security personnel in oil theft in the Niger Delta region could be brought to the fore.
In separate good will messages, Director New Media to Governor of Bayelsa State, Kola Oredipe and Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Bayelsa State, Alambo Datonye advised journalists in the area to build their capacity by training and re-training to up their games.
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