ABUJA – The President, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, on Thursday advised women journalists to put Nigeria and their homes first in discharging their duties.
Omowole gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja ahead of the association’s 25th anniversary.
The NAWOJ president urged female journalists to understand that they had no other country than Nigeria and to ensure that their reportage of events in the country helped to strengthen rather than weaken it.
“My message in this 25th anniversary is for every journalist, especially female journalists to ensure that whenever they report or write a story, they put Nigeria first; we have no other country than this country.
“We should ensure that the stories we write will only make Nigeria and not break it.
“I advise every woman to ensure that your spouse, your husband, is part of your job; let him know the rudiments of your job; let him understand that you can have odd hours.
“When you have your off days, you try and make up for the days you were at work at odd times and ensure that anything that goes on around your beat when you go home you talk about it.
“Not just your husband because sometimes your children also suffer from this job so you ensure that your children too are part of the job that you do.“
According to Omowole, the association’s 25th anniversary celebration which comes up on Oct. 25, will provide the opportunity for female journalists to celebrate the feat which the Nigeria woman has attained in journalism and management.
She said that although women had yet to attain the level envisaged by the association there was “need to celebrate the fact that women are no longer relegated to kid gloves beats“.
Speaking further on the anniversary, she said, “it is about celebrating women – the fact that women in journalism have come of age.
“The fact that some years ago we had very few women in newsrooms and now we have loads of them in the newsrooms.
“We are celebrating the fact that some time ago, women were just relegated to fashion beats and women pages, but now you find them reporting defence, economy, and even the sports beats.
“We are celebrating the fact that women are pulling their weight in journalism and a number of them are rising to managerial positions; it is not the number we envisaged, but we will get there.“
She said that the association was working hard to ensure that female journalists were not just sponsored to train abroad but repositioned to own houses. (NAN)
