The Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in collaboration with the Federated Maritime Media Chapel (FMMC), has trained senior journalists, editors and government public relations officials on emerging technologies, digital communication, investigative reporting and professional ethics.
The one day training was held on Wednesday at the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) Hall, Otunba Ayodele Shoreline, Apapa, Lagos.
The programme focused largely on the changing media landscape and the need for journalists and government communication officers to adapt to technological developments without compromising professional standards.
Declaring the training open, Chairman of the NUJ Lagos State Council, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, said the rapid growth of social media had increased the demand for timely, accurate and credible information.
Ajayi said the programme was particularly important for senior journalists and editors as it provided an opportunity to reflect on the impact of digital technology, sharpen reporting skills and deepen their understanding of changing media dynamics.
He also stressed the need for government media officials to understand best practices in communicating policies, programmes and achievements to the public through the media.
According to him, journalists and communication professionals occupy strategic positions in society and their responsibilities go beyond simply reporting events.
He said they have a duty to provide accurate, balanced and credible information capable of enabling citizens to make informed decisions.
Ajayi said the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation and sensational content had made adherence to accuracy, fairness and professional ethics more important.
He noted that bringing senior journalists and government communication officials together would help bridge communication gaps, promote experience sharing and deepen understanding of the responsibilities of both sides.
The NUJ chairman expressed confidence that the practical knowledge gained from the training would improve media coverage and enhance public understanding of government policies and programmes.
He appreciated the Nigeria Press Council for supporting initiatives aimed at promoting media excellence and urged participants to actively engage with the resource persons.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Federated Maritime Media Chapel, Dr Ovie Edomi, said continuous learning remained essential for media professionals, irrespective of their level of experience.
Edomi urged participants, including academics and senior journalists, to take notes and make the most of the expertise of the resource persons.
Speaking on the economic importance of artificial intelligence and the deployment of drones for research and reporting, a senior lecturer at Redeemer’s University, Mr Ademola Irinyemi, described AI as a major tool for improving productivity and efficiency in the media industry.
Irinyemi explained that artificial intelligence enables computer systems to perform tasks that ordinarily require human intelligence, including information processing, summarisation and other repetitive assignments.
He, however, cautioned journalists against surrendering their originality and professional judgment to AI, stressing that technology should complement human intelligence rather than replace it.
He said the quality of AI generated output largely depended on the quality of information, instructions and prompts supplied by the user, adding that journalists must continue to verify information before publication.
Irinyemi said AI could reduce the time required to complete repetitive tasks and free journalists to concentrate more on analysis, planning, creativity and professional judgment.
He also examined the application of drones in agriculture, disaster assessment, security and maritime operations, challenging journalists and industry stakeholders to explore how the technology could improve research, documentation and reporting.
Publisher of MMS Plus, Mr Kingsley Anaroke, said drones had significant potential in communication, public relations, photography, surveillance and other operations across government agencies.
Anaroke recalled that his organisation had previously proposed the use of drones to the Nigeria Customs Service to monitor smuggling activities in collaboration with a Nigerian partner in the aviation sector, although the proposal was not implemented at the time.
He also noted that drones could potentially support cargo evacuation and other terminal operations, depending on their size, capability and regulatory framework.
A security analyst and counter terrorism expert, Chief Darlington Umoru, said the choice of surveillance technology should be determined by the security requirements of each institution.
Umoru said security agencies could deploy unmanned aerial vehicles, closed circuit television systems and other discreet surveillance technologies depending on the nature of the operation.
He warned that criminals and smugglers could adapt to visible surveillance systems and attempt to circumvent or compromise them, stressing that sensitive security arrangements should not be unnecessarily exposed.
The Tin Can Island Port Command Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, CSC Oscar Ivara, said the service had already deployed geospatial and satellite technology to strengthen surveillance across land and maritime borders.
Ivara said the technology provided real time monitoring of activities and movements within border areas and terminals, helping Customs identify possible smuggling activities and reduce revenue leakages.
He said the system was also being used to monitor cargo and container movements and other activities around terminals, adding that the Nigeria Customs Service had strengthened cooperation with the Customs administration of Benin Republic through the technology.
Presenting a paper on modern communication skills, cybersecurity, bullying, editing and the deployment of AI for research and investigative reporting, Professor Helen Adekoya Odunola of Babcock University said digital literacy had become an essential component of modern journalism.
Odunola distinguished between traditional communication skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing and the broader digital skills required to operate effectively in the modern media environment.
She said possession of a smartphone, computer or other digital device did not automatically make an individual media literate, stressing the importance of understanding how to process, interpret, transmit and receive information responsibly.
The professor also highlighted significant differences between online and traditional newspaper writing, noting that digital audiences generally respond better to concise paragraphs, subheadings, visual elements and easily scannable content.
She urged journalists to understand audience behaviour and digital reading patterns while maintaining accuracy, critical thinking and professional judgment.
On artificial intelligence, Odunola warned journalists against excessive or irresponsible reliance on technology, noting that AI could assist research and content production but could not replace professional accountability.
She cautioned that journalists remained responsible for misinformation, defamatory publications, security panic or other consequences arising from content produced with the assistance of AI.
Odunola said research and investigative journalism shared a common foundation because both involved systematic inquiry aimed at establishing facts and finding answers to important questions.
Also speaking, lecturer at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Dr Jide Johnson, described journalism as the public sphere of modern society and emphasised its watchdog role over government and other institutions.
Johnson said journalists must ask relevant and critical questions on behalf of the public rather than merely echoing statements from people in authority.
He stressed that journalism was a two way communication process involving the dissemination of information to the public and the transmission of feedback from citizens to government, corporate institutions and other stakeholders.
According to him, words and images remain fundamental currencies of journalism, but technological development has changed how audiences consume information.
Johnson urged journalists to embrace technology, arguing that every major technological development had transformed communication, from the printing press and telephone to radio, television, computers and the internet.
He said AI would not eliminate the need for professional journalists but would make adaptation and continuous learning essential for survival in the changing media industry.
Johnson also warned against sacrificing credibility for traffic, saying public interest journalism must be anchored on truth, accuracy, fairness, context and professional ethics.
He advised journalists to distinguish public interest from the publication of material merely because it attracts attention, stressing that credibility was central to maintaining audience trust.
According to him, AI should be treated as a tool that supports journalism rather than a substitute for professional reasoning, verification and contextualisation.
Johnson further emphasised the importance of context, saying the ability to place information in its proper perspective remained one of the qualities that distinguished trained journalists from untrained content creators.
He also advocated caution over calls for increased government regulation of journalism and digital platforms, stressing the importance of self regulation, professional ethics and internal editorial safeguards.
The lecturer said journalists and media organisations must understand the limits of their freedom, particularly where publications could damage the reputation or rights of others.
He maintained that audiences ultimately play a major role in regulating media credibility because sustained publication of inaccurate or irresponsible content would eventually erode public trust and readership.
The training ended with calls for journalists, editors and government communication professionals to embrace emerging technologies while maintaining accuracy, independence, accountability, ethical standards and the core values of professional journalism.
