By: Amos Aar
Journalists in Benue State are to benefit from expanded training opportunities and professional exposure following a high-level engagement between the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) national leadership and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Benue State Council Chairman, Comrade Bemdoo Ugber, has said.
Ugber disclosed this during a telephone conversation from Abuja with the State Secretary of the NUJ Benue State Council, Oryiman Gwaza, shortly after participating in a courtesy visit led by the NUJ President, Comrade Yahya Alhassan, to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr. Sonny Echono.
According to the Benue NUJ chairman, the anticipated partnership would particularly expose journalists from the state to specialised training on effective reporting of TETFund interventions and other education sector developments.
He explained that the visit also included an appeal for support for the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), the NUJ-owned training institution, noting that any assistance to the institute would translate into scholarship opportunities and capacity-building programmes for Benue journalists.
Ugber said the expected collaboration would further enable members from the state to interact with international journalists, exchange professional ideas, build networks and remain competitive in the rapidly evolving global media environment driven by information and communication technology.
While highlighting the broader national objective of the engagement, he commended the NUJ President for initiating strategic measures aimed at repositioning journalism practice in Nigeria to meet international standards.
Quoting the NUJ President, Ugber said the union considered it necessary to engage directly with TETFund to enhance public awareness of the Fund’s interventions and ensure Nigerians are adequately informed about developments in tertiary education.
He further revealed that the NUJ leadership is proposing a joint inspection tour of selected tertiary institutions across the six geopolitical zones to independently assess executed projects and showcase their impact.
The Chairman added that periodic engagement between journalists and TETFund would also create room for field-based feedback capable of strengthening the Fund’s operations.
He noted that the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Mr. Echono, appreciated the visit and reiterated the agency’s commitment to supporting institutions in addressing structural challenges, improving academic standards and sustaining progress in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
The Benue NUJ chairman thanked the national leadership for finding the state council worthy of inclusion in the delegation, assuring that his executive remains committed to prioritising journalists’ welfare and strengthening partnerships with reputable institutions for continuous professional development.
