The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), has admonished Nigerian journalists in the maritime industry to embrace developmental reporting.
The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA, Mr Ikechukwu Onyeamakara noted in a statement that this would positively project the sector to the international community.
He gave the admonition while playing host to the three- man Caretaker committee of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) led by Tunde Ayodele, who paid him a courtesy visit at the NPA headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Pointing to journalism and its ethics, which allows for balance, accuracy and facts, Onyeamakara urged maritime journalists to strictly adhere to the ethics of the profession, noting that nothing good was gained from negative reports.
He solicited for developmental reporting in the sector , especially now that Nigeria was gearing up for elections into the Category C seat at the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO).
The NPA chief image maker noted that such responsible reporting would positively project the industry in Nigeria to the outside world and this would garner support from global maritime nations for Nigeria’s victory.
Onyeamakara explained that in other climes, journalists do not project negative issues of their countries, no matter the situation, and called for similar attitude by Nigerian journalists.
He, however, eulogised MARAN as the very first among the many maritime reporters associations in the sector with a pedigree which had stood the test of time in the sector.
He explained that the NPA, in its position both locally and internationally, was more interested in whatever happened in the industry, hence welcoming the idea of a united body of all journalists associations in maritime industry.
” Maritime is a global industry and whatever the journalists write have a great impact on how the international community views our country,” he said.
Onyeamakara also pledged the NPA’s continued support for MARAN and urged the caretaker committee to work assiduously at ensuring that a credible set of leaders emerged after the association elections.
” The kind of leaders you elect can make or mar the good legacies of the association.
“So you must be careful and meticulous in your choice of the next leaders of the association so that the efforts of the founding leaders of MARAN will not be jeopardised” Onyeamakara admonished.
In his response, the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Ayodele, thanked his him for the warm reception and pledged the continued support of MARAN to ensure the management of the NPA succeeds in its task of repositioning the maritime industry.
“NPA has been a long standing ally of MARAN over the years and the present caretaker committee will consolidate on the friendship which exists between the two parties through responsible reporting,” Ayodele said.
He however explained that the recent
reorganisation in the association became necessary to reposition the foremost journalists body in the industry.
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Ayodele pledged that MARAN, as the flagship media association in the maritime industry, would continue to practise developmental journalism, and was open to mutually beneficial partnership with stakeholders, including government agencies in the industry to build a virile shipping sector.
Ayodele used the occasion to invite the NPA management to MARAN Book Launch coming up on Dec. 4th in Lagos, a request to which Onyeamakara graciously acceded, promising that the agency’s management would be adequately represented.
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