Hey, like a thief in the night, 50 long years have crept up on the Department of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos, and the body of its alumni, the UNILAG Mass Comm Alumni Association, or UMCAA as it is popularly called, will clink glasses in celebration two days hence.
The Institute of Mass Communication, facilitated by the International Press Institute, took off in 1966 with Chief A.Y. Eke, whose tenure ran from 1966 to 1969, as the founding Director. Pioneer diploma students to graduate from the department included Segun Osoba, who later became Governor of Ogun State, and Agbeke “Auntie Agbeke” Ogunsanwo, who later became a permanent secretary and Commissioner in Lagos State.
Events after the January 15, 1966 coup d’etat, and the consequent civil war, compelled six non-Igbo final year students of the Jackson School of Journalism, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to relocate to the new journalism institute in University of Lagos.
As the diploma students started off, the six from UNN proceeded to complete their final-year session. Two of the pioneer degree students are Prince Tony Momoh, who later became Minister of Information and Culture, and Chris Doghudje, who later became Managing Director at Lintas, the pioneer advertising agency in Nigeria.
The idea to turn the institute into a department of mass communication was mooted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation. The programme was to be domiciled in the Faculty of Arts. That explains why Prof Fred Omu, of the Department of History, became the pioneer Head of Department. It was later merged with the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Because the intention was to make the department a regional training centre for West Africa, and parts of East Africa, UNESCO donated a one-storeyed building complete with state-of-the-art equipment in radio broadcast, print, and a dark room for still photography.
Thus, in 1973, the Institute ended its hibernation in a portion of the top floor of the university library. Troyka Holding, a communications general store, donated a three-storey building named after its founder, Biodun Shobanjo, in 2013.
The building has classrooms, syndicate rooms, offices, toilets, and the Centre of Excellence, whose chairman, Prof Ralph Akinfeleye, holds the distinction as the longest serving lecturer and Head of the Department.
The department has contributed to its own growth and leadership: The first alumnus to become a lecturer in the department is Prof Adidi Uyo. He was later joined by his classmate, the late Dr. Femi Sonaike, who later became Editor of Daily Times. The first alumnus Head of Department is Prof Idowu Sobowale. The current HOD, Dr. Oloruntola Sunday, is also an alumnus. The ripples of Beijing 1995 have seen Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika emerge as the first female HOD.
Some alumni have also contributed to the study of Mass Communication in other Nigerian universities and polytechnics as lecturers, Heads of Department, and Deans of Schools of Communication. These include Prof Lai Oso, of Lagos State University and Dr. Victor Ayedun-Aluma of University of Jos. Prof Daniel Awodiya is a communication teacher in America.
The first communication scholar Head of the Department, the late Alfred Opubor, is also the first Nigerian Mass Communication professor, and, some claim, the second in Africa. He is certainly the first in sub-Saharan Africa. He was also Public Orator of the University of Lagos.
In advertising and public relations, notable alumni are Senator Akin Odunsi, and Tunde Adelaja, both former Managing Directors of Rosabel Advertising; Sir Steve Omojafor, a former Managing Director of STBMcCann; and Jimi Awosika, Managing Director of Insight Communications.
The leading lights in journalism are Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, and Yakubu Mohammed, co-founders of Newswatch magazine with the late Dele Giwa; Najeem Jimoh and Azubuike Ishiekwene, former Editors of The PUNCH; Dayo Duyile, a former Director, Nigerian Institute of Journalism; and John Momoh, Executive Chairman, Channels Television.
Prof Olatunji Dare, whose career spans both academia and the industry, is an outstanding satirist in the mould of George Bernard Shaw. Dele Olojede is the first African winner of the Pulitzer Prize, which is regarded as the Nobel Prize for journalism.
The following alumni have served, or are still serving, in government: Bolaji Abdulahi, Minister of Sports; and the late Remi Oyo, Press Secretary to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and later Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria. Her husband, Vincent, is current UMCAA President.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa was Member of the House of Representatives before becoming Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora. Bayo Onanuga, a former Editor-in-Chief of the intrepid The News magazine that confronted the steel claws of military despotism in Nigeria, is current the Managing Director of NAN.
The department moved a notch higher in practical teaching with the relocation of UNILAG Radio to its premises. The departmental television station, UNILAG TV, will be on air as soon as it obtains its licence. The training newspaper, UNILAG Sun, and its counterpart magazine, Masscope, have contributed to the honing of journalistic skills of many students. The digital classroom promises to firmly position the students in the internet revolution.
The department is undoubtedly the most famous, if not the foremost, communications training facility in Nigeria and Africa. It now has a robust postgraduate programme that offers Master of Science, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, in addition to the Bachelors and Postgraduate Diploma certificates.
The department is on the cusp of granting Bachelor’s degree in specialised areas of Print Journalism, Broadcast, and Public Relations and Advertising, and no longer the general degree in Mass Communication. But there should further be specialisation in radio, TV, public relations, advertising, printing technology, film or cinematograph, photojournalism, and online journalism.
All these are just another way of saying that the department should be upgraded into a School, College, or Faculty, in line with current practice worldwide. UNESCO that recently facilitated a seminar on schools of communication favours Schools of Communication in Nigeria.
An alumnus, and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Debo Adesina, as a guest lecturer at the 2016 edition of the Alumni Distinguished Lecture Series, painted a rather dismal picture of the profession of journalism in a global world, whose parameters have drastically altered in the face of profound technological developments.
Adesina suggests that despite these changes, ”media practitioners must have special content, deeper insight, and comprehensive analysis.” Journalism will regain its groove if practitioners rededicate themselves to old landmarks. The media professionals must redefine themselves to enable them to fulfil the responsibilities that the Nigerian constitution assigns to them.
Section 22 of the Constitution says: “The press, radio, television, and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in (Chapter II of the Constitution), and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.”
To perform this sacred duty, Section 39(1) of the Constitution provides that “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.” The UNILAG Department of Mass Communication must lead in fulfilling this sacred responsibility.
But for now, “Bravo!” to the department that has contributed the much-needed manpower into the Nigerian media space in the past 50 years. In case you haven’t guessed, the person turning the phrases here is a proud alumnus of the home of The Great Communicators!
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