A senior journalist in the state and frontline senatorial aspirant for Eket Senatorial District, Rt Hon. (Barr)Ekong Sampson has sensitised the newly inaugurated executive members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federated Chapel on how journalists can make so much decent money from journalism.
In the meeting which was presided over by the Chairman of the Chapel, Mr Nsibiet John and held at Watbridge Hotels&Suites, Dr Ekong Sampson told members of the chapel that sport writers and analysts can make a lot of money from sport journalism.
Federated Chapel is one of the chapels in NUJ Akwa Ibom State Council and Barr. Ekong Sampson, a seasoned journalist is a member and stakeholder of the group.
Dr Sampson, who was the Pioneer President of Sport Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Akwa Ibom State Chapter, added that sport is a big business, and that journalists who write about it can make huge fortune from the venture.
The former Commissioner for Environment and Petroleum Resources, charged his colleagues to live up to expectations:
“Everyone is looking up to our Chapel. You have a great responsibility ahead”.
Dr Sampson proposed that the Chapel should embark, among other things, on journalists’ training in order to boost the quality of contents published for the public to read.
“We are the mirror to the society. I charge you to embark on intensive training of journalists in order to boost the quality of contents that are published for the public to read. I assure you of my continued support in whatever you can do to improve the journalism profession and promote the Chapel,” he assured.
Hon. Sampson then seized the opportunity to formally inform his colleagues of his political ambition to represent Eket Senatorial District in the Nigerian Senate come 2023.
In his speech, the Onomkpoinam Mkpat Enin said, “because of my Journalism and Law backgrounds, added to my experience as someone who has recently led in the Ministry Environment and Petroleum Resources in the Akwa Ibom State Exco, I’m aspiring to represent Eket Senatorial District in the Senate. I know that the Nigerian Senate needs people who understand the country very well. And my experiences have given me the courage that I will represent my Senatorial district well, because I understand the challenges of the area’.
‘I therefore, solicit your support. As a member of the family, this is your project, knowing that, if I’m there in the Senate as a journalist, your interest will be fairly protected. It’s high time we started supporting journalists to occupy positions of responsibilities in government. The more journalists hold positions of responsibilities, the safer we are as a country’.
Speaking, the chairman of the Chapel, Mr Nsibiet John eulogised Dr Sampson for always supporting the Chapel and promoting the course of journalism in the society.
Mr John added that as a Chapel that houses about 120 journalists, that they would deploy the manpower strength they have to promote a healthy society by pioneering a course that will benefit the society.
The meeting was attended by some delegated members of the chapel, mainly the key executive members, including Mr Nsibiet John (Chairman), Mr Emmanuel Akpan (SWAN Chairman), Mr Emmanuel Ntekim (Secretary), Mr Anthony Maurice (Assistant Secretary) and Mr. Otobong Nsekpong (Auditor).
