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The Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, ACSPN, has again harped on the need for professional communicators, government spokespersons and Journalists in the country, to adhere strictly to legal and ethical standards in the discharge of their assigned responsibilities.

ACSPN at her empowerment series in Kwara State, maintained that as watchdogs of the society and critical stakeholders in governance, practitioners must of a necessity sustain ethical standards by disseminating facts, verify stories from authorized sources before feeding the public with credible news and information, not junks.

The guest speaker and one of the trainers at the ACSPN empowerment series held at the prestigious Thomas Adewumi University, Oko in Kwara State, Dr Abdulraheem Mahmud, urged participants to be well guided by the law of defamation, cyber bulling and cyber stalking when crafting stories and information meant for dissemination in the public space, especially the traditional and social media platforms.

He noted that citizens journalism, also known as social media, has to a large extent fractured ethical principles, wherein anybody with Android phone navigates the media terrain with fake news and libelous materials, noting that the social media space is dangerously dramatized with all kinds of substandard news materials.

Dr Mahmud, a one time General Manager of Kwara Broadcasting Service, Radio and Television Stations, charged government spokespersons, professional communicators, Journalists and students of Mass Communication to always uphold Journalism principles, and unblemished professional conduct in the digital Age.

Dr Mahmud emphasized the need for government spokespersons not to unnecessarily please their appointors by engaging themselves in unethical practices, and must always abstain from using uncomplimentary words or offensive innuendos to convey government messages or information in the public space, adding that they should be civil and not antagonistic or abusive in the discharge of their assigned responsibilities.

One of the facilitators and former head of department of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin, Professor Adesina Azeez, dwelt on the need for communicators to deal with issues as they are, never to take side when crafting stories and information meant for dissemination via the mass media, noting that some Journalists and government spokespersons are sometimes tempted to jettison professional conduct by joining issues and compromising standards.

Vice Chancellor of Thomas Adewumi University, Prof Francisca Oladipo, thanked the President and members of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, ACSPN, for holding the empowerment series at the University, describing it as a great privileged.

Speaking to newsmen after the capacity building and empowerment series at Thomas Adewumi University, the Chief Executive Officer of Delta State Orientation and Communication Bureau, Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe Esq, said Delta State is the only state in Nigeria that had in the past five years organised capacity building workshop for government spokespersons, social media influencers, bloggers and media partners.

He assured that the extensive knowledge acquired from the ACSPN capacity building and empowerment series shall be shared with participants at the forthcoming Delcom workshop in Asaba, saying that the state Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, is investing heavily in socioeconomic, solid infrastructure and human capacity development.

He said the State Commissioner for Information, Dr Michael Ifeanyi Osuoza recently disclosed that the governor has constituted a powerful committee to look into the challenges faced by the management of Delta Broadcasting Service, Asaba and Warri stations, as well as the Pointer Newspaper, with a view to upgrading their facilities, embark on fullscale rehabilitation process to enable the state owned media organisations compete favourably with their private counterparts in the industry.

“In Delta State, we are in good standing, especially in the area of capacity building programmes.

“Delta is the only state in Nigeria that organises annual capacity building programme for government media appointees, media partners and social media influencers under the office of the Executive Assistant on Communications to the Governor. The 5th edition shall be held soon in Asaba.

“I am looking forward to seeing Prof Adesina Azeez of the University of Ilorin, and other top class academicians and ACSPN members in Asaba for the 5th edition of DELCOM,” Oghenesivbe assured.

The ACSPN capacity building and empowerment series which ended on Thursday, was well attended by professors of mass Communication and Journalism from Universities and Polytechnics across Nigeria, as well as Government Spokespersons and communication professionals from public and private sectors.

Governor Oborevwori’s Chief Communication Strategist and Head of Delta State Orientation and Communication Bureau, Dr Wilfred Latimore Oghenesivbe, will be attending the annual conference of ACSPN scheduled to hold in Lagos, in the month of September, this year,