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By Philomina Attah
Prof. Tonnie Iredia, a former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), has declared that the era of producing “jack of all trades, master of none” in the nation’s media industry is over.
Iredia made the assertion during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
NAN reports that the veteran broadcaster, lawyer and administrator was at its headquarters to unveil his new initiative, Tonnie Iredia University of Communication, Benin City.
Iredia said the university was established to transform the media landscape by producing industry-ready experts through specialised programmes.
“The conventional university produces generalists; a student studies mass communication a little of this, a little of that.
“But our specialised programme focuses on the component parts of communication.
“If you want to become a public relations officer, you will study public relations and end with a B.Sc. in Public Relations. You become an expert,” he said.
He said the university, which has received approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC), is built on the recently “unbundled” mass communication curriculum.
“It will offer deep specialisations in fields like Broadcasting, Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations as distinct degree programmes.
Citing the critical gap between theory and practice, Iredia outlined a revolutionary 40 per cent theory to 60 per cent practical model in the institution.
“A student of broadcasting will not just learn principles; they will spend more time in the studio than in the classroom, learning how to produce, edit, transmit, and direct.
“When they graduate, they are a finished product, industry-ready,” he added.
He lamented the current situation where graduates often end up on industrial attachment running errands or in small organisations with no one to guide them.
“In our university, the public relations student will have a multimedia studio. They will learn all the practical aspects they need within the school.
“They don’t learn on the job; they perfect on the job,” he said.
Iredia linked the perceived weakness of the Nigerian media to a lack of deep expertise and professional courage.
“A journalist cannot talk the way a lawyer would talk. A medical doctor cannot be told how to treat a patient,” he said.
He emphasised that the purpose of specialised education was to create sufficient knowledge to empower media professionals.
“The purpose of this specialised education is to create sufficient knowledge so that when an editor tells a journalist he doesn’t like his story, the journalist, armed with expert training, will stand by the professional standards of the craft.
“He would not simply change it to suit the editor,” he said.
According to him, one of the duties of a journalist is to hold government accountable to the people.
“Can journalists of today do it? Many can’t, because they don’t have the competence, courage, and confidence,” he said.
Iredia underscored the need for a university environment to truly replicate the real work world.
He listed the admission requirements to include five credit passes in SSCE/GCE O’Level or NECO in not more than two sittings, a UTME score as approved by JAMB, and specific course requirements.
“With its innovative approach to communication education, the Tonnie Iredia University of Communication is poised to become a leading institution in Nigeria.
“It aims to produce experts who can drive the country’s media and communication industry forward,” he said.
NAN recalls that the Federal Government on April 30 issued operational licenses to Tonnie Iredia University of Communication and 10 other newly established private universities.
At the presentation ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had said that the decision was to reinforce the drive towards broadening access to quality higher education. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi
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