Edo State University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, has expressed his gratitude to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Edo State chapter for awarding him with an excellence award.
The VC, who also called for hardword and integrity on the part of journalists worldwide stated that these qualities are necessary in every endeavors to achieve greatness and success in one’s choosen career.
Prof. Aluyor spoke in an interview with Uptown Press shortly after he was honoured at the 2024 Word Press Freedom Day themed: A Press for the Planet: Journalism in The Face of the Environmental Crises on Friday in Benin City.
Prof. Aluyor said, “I feel glad and indeed very humble and thanked the Edo Union of Journalists for finding me worthy to be honored with this award today. Hard work has always been appreciated and rewarded. Edo State University is a university that I have pioneered, and one feels glad when society appreciates the hard work that has been put in for the university to be where it is today.”
He added, “This kind of occasion tells one that one needs to continue to work hard to sustain the accolade.”
Another awardee, the Chairman of Ovia South-west Local Government, Engr. Edosa Enowoghomwenma, also expressed his gratitude to the union for the honour.
He said, “This award of excellence gladdens my heart. This is because the little we are doing in our locality is being seen and appreciated. I dedicate the award to the good people of Ovia South-west because the appreciation of what we are doing obviously singled us out for this award. I am really proud of it and happy.”
During the event, Prof. Segun Ezekiel delivered a lecture on the theme of the year, where he noted that there is no hundred percent press freedom anywhere in the world. He emphasized the need for journalists to accurately verify and fact-check their source of information before publishing any news.
Environmental crisis, according to him, is the sum of the environmental challenges that people are facing, such as land degradation, global warming, climate change, and others. He also discussed the importance of solution-oriented reports by journalists.
He concluded his lecture by saying that journalists need continuous training, support, digital tools, and capacity building workshops to enable them to effectively report the complex nature and technicality of environmental journalism.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Edo State council, Comrade Festus Alenkhe, also spoke at the event and tasked journalists on credible reportage.
He emphasized the need for journalists to maintain integrity, objectivity, and professionalism in their reporting.
