By Esanbor Ihaza
Members of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) will converge today in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital for this year’s annual conference and general meeting of the association.
ACSPN’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lanre Arogundade disclosed this in a statement made available to the media on Tuesday. The statement added that the association will also launch a book on Media and Artificial Intelligence during the event.
The two-day event which is holding at the Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt with the theme, “Media and Citizens Participation in Governance for Accountability and Peace in the Society”, will be attended by hundreds of media scholars and professionals.
In line with the theme, according to the statement, the Group Head Corporate Communications of Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals and Fertilizer Limited, Dr. Jossy Nkwocha, will deliver the keynote address on a topic entitled, “The Role of the Media in Accountable Government and Peace in the Society”.
In addition, there will also be a special panel session on “The Media are not dead? Are the Canons Shifting”, and the main speaker will be Dr. Lasisi Olagunju, the Editor of Saturday Tribune while Dr. Chido Onumah, the Coordinator African Centre for Media and Information Literacy and Vice President North Central of ACSPN, will preside over the session as the lead discussant.
“The other panelists include Pastor Paulinus Niram, Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rivers State, Dr. Edith Ohaja of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Dr. Ahmad Shehu, American University of Nigeria, Yola.
“A major highlight of the first day of the conference is the public launch of ACSPN’s ground breaking book entitled, “Knowledge Societies – Artificial Intelligence and the Media”. Other ACSPN latest publications will also be presented”, the statement added.
It also stated that the Special Guest of Honour and Chief Host, His Excellency Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; the host, Prof. Nlerum Sunday Okogbule, Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University; the President of ACSPN and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Prof. Umaru Pate and the Vice-President of ACSPN for the South-South, Dr. Majority Oji, will all speak at the opening ceremony.
The statement further explained that there will also be goodwill messages from the Nigeria Press Council, the Nigeria Television Authority South-South Zonal Office and the Mass Communication Department of Rivers State University, among others.
“According to the details of the programme released by the General Secretary of ACSPN and Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Prof. Nose Owens-Ibie, there will be syndicate sessions at which papers will be presented and discussions held on wide-range of issues including but not limited to media, communication, women, information technology, public relations, artificial intelligence, social media, governance and peace building”, the statement disclosed.
