Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof. Sonni Tyoden has reassured the Department of Mass Communication of the administration’s commitment to making it one of the best in the country. He made the pledge while receiving an award of excellence from the Association of Mass Communication Students (AMCOMS) recently at the ASUU secretariat of the institution. He said the award will “encourage the university administration to do its best in ensuring that the students come out properly equipped to be leaders in the media industry in Nigeria.”
.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof. Dauda Musa Enna, the vice chancellor congratulated the department on the steady and sure progress made within its two years existence.
According to him, “you have demonstrated within a short time that you can look after yourself”. Speaking further on the recently licensed campus radio, he assured that “the radio station the university is starting will not only be for the department’s use but the university community will also be the primary gatekeeper and user of the station.”
He expressed confidence in the department’s ability to be good custodians of the radio station, adding that “there is no point in bringing a radio station and giving it to a department that looks irresponsible. However, we believe that your dress code externalizes what we believe to be inside you.”
Prof. Tyoden believes that “once the radio station takes off, it will offer a very good ground for the department to train its students as professionals.”
He added that while they are the main user department, they will have other departments and units make good use of the radio station for the dissemination of lectures since the station is expected to be the main source of communication and information dissemination within the university community.
He disclosed plans by the university to have a television component to the radio station in future.
Also honoured at the ceremony were the former Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Monday Mangvwat and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof John Illah, and Prof. Augustine Enahoro popularly referred to as “father” of the department .
In an earlier remark, Head of Department, Dr Christy Best, described the event as “a celebration of excellence and the outstanding contribution of great men and women in the university to the Mass Communication project and dream.”
According to her, “this is a very special and historic moment to this department and its students because we are celebrating excellence and faith in a vision of the Mass Communication in the university, which started more than 20 years ago. We are celebrating the people that made it possible.”
She expressed gratitude to the Prof Tyoden led administration for seeing that the mass communication dream became a reality. Recounting the department’s achievements in its short period of existence, Dr. Best acknowledged the immense support and role of the Jos Carnegie Partnership Committee (JCPC) and its chairperson, Dr (Mrs) Patricia Lar in awarding the grant to publish the Unijos Echo Online.
“This is the only university in Nigeria that has a student online newspaper”, she said.
She maintained that the department is contributing to the university’s current ranking as the fourth best in Nigeria by the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) annual ranking. She attributed the feat to the University’s visionary leadership, resourcefulness, calibre of teaching staff and students, the sort of excellence the department is proud to be identified with.
She thanked the Vice Chancellor for making the campus radio a reality, stressing that “the department as the direct beneficiary of the station will be better positioned to deliver practical training needed for the field.”
Dr Best challenged the students to shun all social vices and remain focused on setting the pace in the pursuit of excellence to complement the beautiful and dignifying outlook of their unique dress code.
Speaking on behalf of the students, AMCOMS president, Adamu Henry said “the students are greatly honoured, delighted, thankful and humbled by the immeasurable stride and commitment of the founding fathers and the vice chancellor to the establishment of the department.”
He expressed concern over the challenges still faced by the department, noting that “the students of this great department currently lack the necessary tools for practice, a challenge that is begging for the attention of the institution, individuals and corporate organizations to come to its aid.”
He promised that the students will give their best and remain worthy ambassadors of the department and the university. He appealed to the vice chancellor to help the department in actualizing the dream of managing the campus radio in the light of the passion he has for the profession.
By Samuel Olaniran, Linus Ngantem & Livinus Ayih
