NCDMB partners NUJ on capacity building for journalists

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has expressed its preparedness to partner with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, on building capacity for journalists in the state. The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, made this known when he received a delegation of the NUJ led by the state chairman, Mr. John Angese, at the board’s headquarters in Yenagoa. Wabote described the journalism profession as a noble one, saying that training and re-training were vital for journalists “to be able to write factually about issues” not only in the oil and gas sector but also in other areas of the society.

The NCDMB boss called on journalists to amplify the positive impact of the board in the oil and gas sector of the country. He also urged journalists to also come up with constructive criticism in order to help the board improve on its mandate. Wabote said, “Part of what we do on the board is also capacity building. Capacity building is not just limited to the oil and gas sector. What you (journalists) do is also, in a way, tied to the oil and gas sector because if you don’t write about what is happening in the oil and gas sector, and if you don’t know what is happening there, it is difficult to communicate what is going on in the oil and gas sector.

“We might do all the technological things; when it comes to telling what we have done, we are not gifted in that area, and you guys have the gift of the pen to be able to communicate that to the layman through your profession. “So we would partner with you to build capacity because it is necessary to enhance your capacity to be able to write factually about the issues at stake”.

In his remarks, the state chairman, NUJ, Mr. John Angese, congratulated Wabote on his appointment as the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB. He stressed the need for a consistent interface to improve relations between the board and the council.