The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Thursday said that Journalism was key in supporting digital activism, giving youths a stage to speak up and drive positive changes in society.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, said this at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Chapel 2024 Press week lecture and symposium in Lagos.
Maida was represented by the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Dr Reuben Mouka, at the lecture and symposium, which had the theme, “The Role of Journalism in Addressing Impact, Opportunities and Challenges of Modern Technology on Youths.”
Maida said that technology and Internet connectivity had democratised the journalism space, allowing citizens to partake in news reporting and analysis.
He said that Nigerian youths now had a powerful voice in reporting the news that mattered to them through social media platforms.
According to him, the opportunities are huge as people have improved access to information that have been democratised by the combination of technology and connectivity.
“There are educational opportunities presented by online learning and skill development, and not left out is the social connectivity that allows the youth to network and communicate but there are challenges too.
“Fake news and misinformation online are big problems for journalists and their audiences, and knowing what is true in this flood of information is vital for young people.
“We must also realise that issues like data privacy, online bullying and unequal access to technology must be tackled to ensure that modern technology coexists,’’ he said.
According to him, it is important to interrogate how journalism shapes Nigeria’s youth today.
Maida said that by promoting critical thinking, digital skills and ethical journalism, technology could be used to empower the youth, make positive changes, and create a more inclusive, informed society for the future.
He said that NCC was the regulator for the deployment and operations of infrastructure and services that drove emerging technologies.
The EVC said that the Commission considered NAN an important part of its media value chain, one that was crucial in reporting the telecommunications industry.
Maida said that NAN was also crucial in holding the Commission to its stated commitment to transparency and accountability.
He said that NAN had a role in raising awareness about technological advancements and helping youths navigate the digital world responsibly.
“I, therefore, enjoin NAN, in this regard, to use its wide reach to draw attention to some of the key initiatives of the Commission in keeping telecommunications subscribers up to date,’’ he said.
Maida stressed that the NCC was always seeking the collaboration of all stakeholders to drive optimal quality and expansion of infrastructure, while fostering innovation and sustainable industry growth.
Addressing the students, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Segun Musa, said that Nigeria must embrace technologies to change its story.
Musa, the Chairman and Chief Consultant, Global Transport Policy, said that teaching and learning in schools with technologies would bring Nigerian students at par with their counterparts in other climes.
He said: “The world is advancing. We must advance with the world. If we fail to advance with the world, the world will advance without us.
“I implore our teachers and our lawmakers to begin to encourage our young people to embrace technology. Technology rules the world.”
Cautioning students not to abuse technologies, Musa urged young Nigerians to extol nobility of character, humility and humanity above quest for wealth.
Also speaking during a panel discussion, panelists spoke extensively on the topic and urged parents to curtail excessive use of gadgets by their children.
Princess Adenike Sodipo, the Deputy Director, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, said that one of the challenges of ICT among students was that they got carried away while using it.
According to her, youths of nowadays are tech savvy and once they are on it, they forget a lot of things.
Sodipo urged parents to monitor their wards and discourage them from excessive concentration on technology, thereby leading to committing internet atrocities.
A Deputy Editor-in-Chief in NAN, Mrs Ijeoma Popoola, who spoke on the roles of family in the usage of technology among the youths, said that parents had neglected their duties of monitoring their children on the proper use of ICT.
Popoola said that no matter the school or teachers that parents hired for their children, it could never replace their responsibilities or guidance.
According to her, the world is in a special age and as a result of that, parents must create time to monitor their children.
“Monitor the usage of this small thing called ‘phone’ because most of these children do not sleep at night.
“It is our duty as parents to check on them at night, because they keep playing games on it and commit a lot of atrocities.
“We urge youths to explore the opportunities technology has to offer and refrain from using it to engage in illicit behaviours,” she said.
Popoola added that Artificial Intelligence (AI) had come to stay but it must not be misused.
The Deputy Chairman, NUJ Lagos Council, Mr Phillips Nwosu, said the media had been doing a lot in educating the public on the advantages and disadvantages of technology.
Nwosu noted that the disadvantages of technology outweighed its advantages, adding that the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do school homework was wrong in all ramifications.
According to him, introduction of AI to do homework will not allow students to think critically or properly read their books.
“Every answer you need is not on the phone. The teachers in your school use textbooks to teach, which are also important.
“There are textbooks where things have been outlined, which students are supposed to go read and understand what they have been taught.
“But today, the easiest way is to go through our phone which is very appalling,” he said.
Nwosu appealed to parents to discourage their children from using AI as it prevents them from using their heads.
