22nd January, 2025
By Isa Isawade
National Diploma (ND) III Students from the Department of Mass Communication, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos paid a knowledge-seeking expedition visit to the PRESS HOUSE, headquarters of the Independent Communications Network Limited, Publishers of PMNEWS and TheNEWS Magazine on Monday, 20 January, 2024 in Ogba, Lagos.
The institution had earlier submitted a letter of request, signed by the Head of Department of Mass Communication, Olorunyomi Omolara, to grant the students the opportunity of briefly journeying into the organisation’s history.
Particular areas of interest for the students were “brief history, mission and vision of the organisational structure of the print media house”.
The twenty-member team led by their leader, Babatunde Ibrahim, was received by the organisation’s Administrative Manager/Education Editor, Mr. Isa Isawade.
Justice was done to the confidence reposed in the organisation by the institution’s management as the Admin. Manager took the young visitors through the chequered history of the organisation, established by a group of radical and principled journalists in February 1992 to serve as a check against the excesses of Nigerian rulers and corrupt public office holders.
That club of fearless journalists who came together to take up the gauntlet to challenge the ruthless military juntas of generals Babangida and Abacha were Bayo Onanuga (who is currently the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy); Dapo Olorunyomi (now Publisher of the Premium Times); Senator Babafemi Ojudu; Kunle Ajibade, Executive Editor of TheNEWS and PMNEWS and Author of ‘Jailed For Life: A Reporter’s Prison Notes’; Seye Kehinde, Publishers of City People Magazine; Idowu Obasa, a former chairman of the Onigbongbo LCDA and Chairman of Golden Chance Lotto, and the late Seriki Hausawa of Ebute Metta, Lagos, Alh. Sani Kabir.
The company’s accountant, Mr. Ehijiator Odion and PMNEWS Editor, Kazeem Ugbodaga joined the Admin. Manager during the interview to provide adequate answers to the highly inquisitive students who were bent on going away with every information possible about the organisation and the production processes involved in print journalism.
For their impressive display of willingness to learn during the meeting, each of them was presented with a copy of the October 2024 edition of TheNEWS Magazine while the five most outstanding in an evaluation on literature were, in addition, gifted a copy of an anniversary interview edition with the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.