Capacity Building: PDP Facilitates Workshop For Media Personnel

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Akwa Ibom State chapter, through its Publicity Secretariat, has facilitated a one day workshop on political communication and media branding for young media personnel in Akwa Ibom State.

The workshop which held at the conference hall of the state secretariat of the party in Uyo, focused on issues in political reportage, media-government relations and enhancing development journalism in Akwa Ibom State.

Speaking on the theme, Political Advertising, Mass Media and the Watchdog Construct in the Nigerian Democracy, the resource person, Dr Nsikan Senam, of Department of Communication Arts, University of Uyo, addressed the challenges on contemporary media practice in the Nigerian democracy in view of development ideals and the watchdog identity of the mass media.

Senam noted that some problems of media practice in contemporary Nigeria are a result of borrowed ideals from other climes which are not in alignment with the Nigerian reality. He advised that media practitioners consider local needs and remain conscious of development in their reportage. He also proffered solutions to how best political communication should be done and how the media should relate with the government and political institutions.

In his remarks, the PDP state Publicity Secretary, Comr Ini Ememobong, noted the need for routine capacity development for young media practitioners, adding that the party is interested in strategic partnership with the media for the development of the state. He further thanked the resource person for sharing his wealth of knowledge in media practice, while encouraging the participants to have the positive branding of the state in mind in their profession.

Reacting, the participants expressed happiness in the initiative, commending the PDP for being interested in capacity development of young Akwa Ibom media practitioners. The one day workshop is an initiative of the caretaker leadership experiment of the publicity secretariat, championed by Ubon Udeme and Ak Kingsley.