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Media Chiefs and a Senator yesterday extolled the virtues of the late icon of Journalism, Doyin Mahmoud.
Mahmoud, a former Senior journalist at Daily Times, former Chief Sub-editor and Training Editor of The Guardian Newspaper, Editor of the Herald Newspapers, Editor in Chief of Daily Independent, and pioneer Head of the Department of the Mass Communication University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State was honoured by lecturers and students of the department in an annual memorial lecture initiated in his honour.
Senator Umar Sadiq, representing Kwara North in the National Assembly and seasoned journalists Raheem Adedoyin, Simon Kolawole, Saadu Salahudeen and Kabir Garba paid glowing tributes to late top editor and media executive.
The event which also serves as a knowledge renewal to the lecturers and students in the department witnessed a presentation of papers in the field of journalism by Salahudeen, a Public Relations expert, broadcast journalist, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR), and former special adviser to Kwara state governor on strategy; Kolawole, founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Cable Newspaper, and Dr. Garba, Editor of The Guardian on Sunday.
The guest speakers spoke on the continuous relevance of youth in journalism vis a vis the emergence of social media in which it appears anybody is now a journalist. Emphasized on importance of upholding the ethics of the profession and putting the interest of society into consideration anytime they are pushing out information to the public as news.
The trio affirmed the outstanding qualities of late Mahmoud describing him as a great communication scholar, an excellent role model in the field of journalism.
Also extolling the virtues of the late Doyin Mahmoud at the event, a veteran journalist and member of the executive board of the International Press Institute (IPI), Raheem Adedoyin, described the late Mahmoud, as a passionate journalist, a great academician, and a mentor who dedicated his lifetime to pursuing excellence in Journalism field where he also groomed many.
Adedoyin, a former Commissioner for Information in the state and lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication charged the students to imbibe the virtues of good learning, discipline, and incorruptibility that made the late Mahmoud immortal.
The media guru also tasked the traditional media to be more vigilant and remain professional in the midst of an unprofessional social media revolution.
Also, Dr. Kabir Garba, editor of Weekend Guardian newspapers who delivered a paper on ‘Cultivating the next generation of engaged citizenry: the media’s role in empowering young people’ described the late Doyin Mahmoud as someone who lived a life of empowering humanity, said: “The life and times of Mr. Adedoyin Nureni Mahmoud epitomized empowering of humanity and young ones in the field of the media profession.”
Kolawole, publisher of TheCable Newspaper said although he did not work with the late Mahmoud, he read a lot about the titan’s transformational work in the field of journalism
In his remarks, Salahudeen characterized the late Mahmoud as a journalism icon “who made his footprints in the sand of times, leading in the battlefield by his pen to get Nigeria returned to Democratic government and freer society which many contemporary younger Nigerians take for granted.”
The event also witnessed the launching of the department’s Magazine ‘The Lens’ by the Senator representing Kwara North senatorial district at the National Assembly Abuja, Senator Sadiq Sulyman Umar who described Mahmoud as ” a Collosus whose mentoring is evident in journalism practice today”.
Sen. Umar advised the students on the importance of quality mentorship.
Said the Senator: “Mentorship is very important in shaping and determining your future, you must be circumspect in picking who you want to take as a role model because it has to be someone that would inspire you to be a value-added member of the society by being an exemplary person in your chosen career.”
The senator identified the Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as his mentor and a silent achiever with uncommon qualities.
He launched the Magazine with the sum of one million naira.
Four distinguished personalities were also given awards of recognition for their outstanding contribution to the development of the Mass communication department of the University.
The awardees were former senior special adviser to the Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on strategy, Aalhaji Saadudeen Salahudeen, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mallam Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Executive Officer of Cable News, Simon Kolawole, and a philanthropist, Alhaji Najim Jimoh, who has been producing the Magazine in honour of the late Doyin Mahmoud at every annual lecture free of charge.
Other notable personalities that graced the event include Dr. Bashir Ibrahim, Dr. Ghali Alaaya, both of the University of Ilorin, Alhaji Abdullahi Olesin, regional editor of Leadership Newspaper, and lecturers in the host department.
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