Nation
Advertising: Stakeholders Seek Collaboration With Advert Practitioners, Academia
Stakeholders in the Marketing Communications industry have called for more collaborations between the academia and practitioners in an effort to bridge the knowledge gap and sustain the industry for the next generations of practitioners.
According to them, the decision was necessary following the revelation of the huge gap between what is taught in schools and what exists on the field.
The stakeholders said this at the maiden Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC) organised by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), in Lagos, recently.
The gathering, which had in attendance professionals from the academia and top industry practitioners, provided a meeting point for all players within the sector to interact and chart a way forward for the good of the advertising profession.
Delivering the keynote paper with the theme, “Changing Trends In Advertising Education and Practice In The Era Of Globalization: The Nigerian Perspective”, the Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Shepherds Ltd, and President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Idoreyen Enang, underlined the need for stakeholders, especially curriculum developers, to prioritize the fundamental knowledge of marketing to concretise the foundation that other capabilities could be built on to ensure lasting growth and develop the industry.
In his presentation on the sub-theme: “Contemporary Media Campaign planning and Execution in the era of digitisation”, the Dozie Okafor, MD, CEO, PHD Nigeria, and Vice President of MIPAN, Dozie Okafor, stated that there was a new shift from the old ways, stressing the need for all to key into the changes.
He noted that Influencer Marketing was getting a lot bigger than radio OAPs that used to be the trend back in the day, “so investments are shifting into the digital space. But, even how we use those influencers should be better educated by data”.
“Firstly, we need to train a new crop of media professionals, to better arm them, away from what is taught in school, and there are different platforms to achieve that.
“Once you have that foundation you are armed with the principles of how the new digital is working and you need to play with the rules and localize it. You are able to get the training and bring it up to speed”, he said.
Kelechi Nwosu, Managing Director, TBWA/Concept, Kelechi Nwosu, insisted that the colloquium was a good avenue to share knowledge among stakeholders in the industry.
“Knowledge is important, refreshing what we know and learning new things is equally important. This is one of the ways.
This platform establishes that opportunity for us to hear and see how to grow things.
“If you hear ID Enang’s speech which is amazing in terms of the depth of it he says the foundation needs to be correct, which is marketing and a lot of people need to correct that.
“I think that we need to show and provide direction for the new trend. There must be continuous learning from the academics and practitioners”, he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Tolulope Medebem, COO/Lead Consultant, Aster Integrated Marketing Ltd, what the colloquium platform did was a start.
“There is a lot of unbundling that we need to do, it’s a whole lot and not something we can just do in a day. But, the first step has been taken leading to different interactions as witnessed here today.
“In some places we are doing it, but it has to be done collectively and I think a whole lot of information has been exposed here and you can see the young ones soaking all in. I believe it’s something that will work for all of us”, she noted.
On his part, Steve Babaeko, AAAN President and Chief Executive of X3M Ideals said: “Big shout out to the ARCON DG, for putting it together because honestly, there is a big gap between the academia and the industry and that gap God knows that we need to bridge it, if we don’t it’s not doing the academia any good and doing us even more damage as an industry”.
The Rivers state Government has identified six local government areas with the highest burden of maternal and Neonatal mortality in the state.
State Commissioner for Health Dr Adaeze Chidinma Oreh said this in an interview with newsmen at the Maternal and Neonatal Reduction innovation initiative ( Mamii)Rivers state activation workshop and state engagement meeting in Port Harcourt.
The event was organized by The Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with its Rivers state counterpart in Port Harcourt.
Dr Oreh also restated the preparedness of the state government to support current efforts by the federal government towards the reduction of maternal and infant mortalities in the country.
She mentioned the affected Local Government Areas to include, Andoni,Akuku Toru and Ahoada West
The rest according to the Commissioner are, Bonny, Etche and Emohua Local Government Areas.
She said the workshop will enable the team from the federal ministry of health and social welfare to brainstorm with the view to finding solution to the problem.
The Commissioner also gave reasons why the Mamii initiative was the best as far as finding solution to maternal mortality was concerned.
“The uniqueness of the Mamii initiative driven by the federal ministry of health and social welfare was that we used evidence to elicit the reasons for this deaths, so that the solutions will be context specific and tailored to the particular environment where those deaths are occuring
“For us in Rivers state we have six Mamii LGAs , nationally we we have 172 local government areas “the Commissioner said.
Earlier in her opening remarks,Dr Oreh said the state government is prepared to work with the federal ministry of health and social welfare to check the rate of maternal mortality in the state.
She commended The Minister of Health and Social welfare Professor Ali Muhammad Pategi for driving the Mamii initiative across the country and expressed optimism that the programm will see to the end of maternal mortality in the country.
Also speaking the National Coordinator Nigeria health sector Renewal Initiative Dr Adam Ahmed said Rivers state is the last state among Mamii states in the country to host the team.
He said the team will visit the affected Local Government Areas with the view to interacting with the people on how to check the trend.
He expressed the hope that with continuous efforts, maternal mortality will be checked.
Also speaking the permanent secretary Rivers state Ministry of Health Professor Justinah Jumbo said the government is not leaving any stone unturned towards reduction in maternal deaths.
The permanent secretary said Governor Siminalaye Fubara is a health friendly Governor who is desirous in improving the quality of health of Rivers people.
John Bibor
A pan-Nigeria organisation committed to the promotion and preservation of indigenous languages, Indigenous Language and Culture Promoters (ILCP), has called for the deliberate development and compulsory teaching of indigenous languages in both primary and secondary schools across the country.
The group made the call during its maiden Congress held in Bori, Rivers State, which was convened to examine challenges hindering the official adoption and effective teaching of Ogoni languages in schools.
Speaking at the Congress, the Executive Director of the organisation, HRC Mene Magnus Edooh, Amb.P, emphasised the critical role of indigenous languages in preserving a people’s culture, values and history. He warned against the gradual extinction of native languages, noting that language loss equates to identity loss.
“Years ago, Latin was a language of global relevance, but today it is largely extinct. We do not want Ogoni languages to suffer a similar fate. As a people, we cannot afford to lose our identity through the death of our languages,” Edooh said.
He explained that the Indigenous Language and Culture Promoters was established to collaborate with language stakeholders to ensure that children and younger generations remain connected to their mother tongues. The organisation also appealed to governments at all levels, as well as relevant institutions and individuals, to take strategic actions aimed at promoting and sustaining Nigeria’s indigenous languages.
Also speaking, the newly appointed Director of Media and Information, Prince David N. Gbarato, questioned the rationale behind government reluctance to accord indigenous languages their rightful place in national development policies.
According to him, “People with well-developed languages are people with well-developed indigenous systems and affairs,” stressing that language development is fundamental to cultural and societal advancement.
The Congress further served as a platform for the ratification of key officers of the organisation and featured the participation of representatives from various indigenous language groups and other language stakeholders, all of whom echoed the call for renewed commitment towards safeguarding Nigeria’s linguistic heritage.
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