GHANA JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION
GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM CHAPTER
SPEECH DELIVERED BY IN-COMING PRESIDENT(2009/2010),
UMARU SANDA AMADU
AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTER- ACCRA
20TH JUNE 2009.
AT 8:00pm
Mr. Chairman, the Hon. Minister of Information and deputies, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, president of the Ghana Journalist Association, all protocol observed, colleague students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and other institutions present, distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I begin by thanking Allah the almighty for having been elected leader of this professional Association’s branch of the Ghana Institute of Journalism at a time when the institution is celebrating its Golden jubilee. It is an honor I must say.
Mr. Chairman, I contested and won the presidency of this Association in an election conducted on 2nd June 2009not for the fun of it but for the commitment I have in helping shape it to the enviable position of second only to the SRC in terms of membership.
The mother association Mr. Chairman was formed mainly to promote and protect the interest of journalists in this country. Journalism as we know is a very fragile profession where every action and inaction of ours is met with enmity.
A certain section of the public do not think the media and for that matter journalists should exist because we are a "bunch of gossips who are only interested in noising into peoples affairs". It is important to state however that, journalists do not do this exposure just for the sake of it but we do it in the interest of the public who we are serving. It is in the pursuit of this course that journalists make enemies for themselves.
It is the duty of the Ghana Journalist Association therefore to protect its members from all enemies of media freedom. Mr. Chairman, the GIJ chapter of the GJA shall at all time stand for the rights and freedom of student journalist on campus.
Mr. Chairman, this chapter, the only student chapter is faced with some challenges which my administration seeks to address. The main worry of members is the delay in the issuance of membership ID cards. An identity card which identifies an individual must be the first thing one should get after joining any group. Unfortunately, the beginning of the academic calendar since September last year, the Association has been able to issue a little over 20 IDs to a membership of over hundred.
I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to our mother association to expedite the processing and issuance of this card. I will also like to assure members that I will in association with my executives fight hard to get those IDs for them.
Mr. Chairman, the association also lacks an office from where its affairs will be run. It is our hope that, we will have a structure on campus to serve as our office and I pray all and sundry to help to help us in that endeavors.
Mr. Chairman, we will attract membership to this association by undertaking entertaining, informative and educative programmers’ like talks, lectures, excursions and symposiums among others. We will also continue with the dream of our outgoing executives to organize week-end attachments to media houses to help provide first hand experience to members when they find themselves any media house in the near future.
I will also like to appeal to our mother association to consider granting members of this association automatic membership when they leave school. Mr. President, since you are here I appeal to you directly.
I must also state that, I am jealous of the annual awards giving to practicing journalists and will like to urge the minister of information in collaboration with the Ghana journalist association to initiate a ‘Best Student Journalist’ award to student journalists. This will help boost the morale of students and will go a long way to help the media profession.
Mr. Chairman, I want to assure you and all here gathered that, we shall strengthen this Association and campus and by same time next year when we coverage for a baton hand-over, a good story will be recounted.
Mr. Chairman, I will on this note like to thank all of you especially the Hon. Minister and the executives of the GJA for having made time out of their busy schedule to join us here tonight. I also extend a hand of thanks to the Accra Breweries Limited. I hope you will open your doors to us the next time we knock for support. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. I say AYEKOO. THANK YOU.
GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM CHAPTER
SPEECH DELIVERED BY IN-COMING PRESIDENT(2009/2010),
UMARU SANDA AMADU
AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTER- ACCRA
20TH JUNE 2009.
AT 8:00pm
Mr. Chairman, the Hon. Minister of Information and deputies, Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, president of the Ghana Journalist Association, all protocol observed, colleague students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism and other institutions present, distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I begin by thanking Allah the almighty for having been elected leader of this professional Association’s branch of the Ghana Institute of Journalism at a time when the institution is celebrating its Golden jubilee. It is an honor I must say.
Mr. Chairman, I contested and won the presidency of this Association in an election conducted on 2nd June 2009not for the fun of it but for the commitment I have in helping shape it to the enviable position of second only to the SRC in terms of membership.
The mother association Mr. Chairman was formed mainly to promote and protect the interest of journalists in this country. Journalism as we know is a very fragile profession where every action and inaction of ours is met with enmity.
A certain section of the public do not think the media and for that matter journalists should exist because we are a "bunch of gossips who are only interested in noising into peoples affairs". It is important to state however that, journalists do not do this exposure just for the sake of it but we do it in the interest of the public who we are serving. It is in the pursuit of this course that journalists make enemies for themselves.
It is the duty of the Ghana Journalist Association therefore to protect its members from all enemies of media freedom. Mr. Chairman, the GIJ chapter of the GJA shall at all time stand for the rights and freedom of student journalist on campus.
Mr. Chairman, this chapter, the only student chapter is faced with some challenges which my administration seeks to address. The main worry of members is the delay in the issuance of membership ID cards. An identity card which identifies an individual must be the first thing one should get after joining any group. Unfortunately, the beginning of the academic calendar since September last year, the Association has been able to issue a little over 20 IDs to a membership of over hundred.
I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to our mother association to expedite the processing and issuance of this card. I will also like to assure members that I will in association with my executives fight hard to get those IDs for them.
Mr. Chairman, the association also lacks an office from where its affairs will be run. It is our hope that, we will have a structure on campus to serve as our office and I pray all and sundry to help to help us in that endeavors.
Mr. Chairman, we will attract membership to this association by undertaking entertaining, informative and educative programmers’ like talks, lectures, excursions and symposiums among others. We will also continue with the dream of our outgoing executives to organize week-end attachments to media houses to help provide first hand experience to members when they find themselves any media house in the near future.
I will also like to appeal to our mother association to consider granting members of this association automatic membership when they leave school. Mr. President, since you are here I appeal to you directly.
I must also state that, I am jealous of the annual awards giving to practicing journalists and will like to urge the minister of information in collaboration with the Ghana journalist association to initiate a ‘Best Student Journalist’ award to student journalists. This will help boost the morale of students and will go a long way to help the media profession.
Mr. Chairman, I want to assure you and all here gathered that, we shall strengthen this Association and campus and by same time next year when we coverage for a baton hand-over, a good story will be recounted.
Mr. Chairman, I will on this note like to thank all of you especially the Hon. Minister and the executives of the GJA for having made time out of their busy schedule to join us here tonight. I also extend a hand of thanks to the Accra Breweries Limited. I hope you will open your doors to us the next time we knock for support. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. I say AYEKOO. THANK YOU.
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