MASS COMM UNIMAID: FLYING HIGH

Some Unimaid Mass Comm Lectures.
From left: Dr Mohammed Gujbawu, Dr Danjuma Gambo,
Mr Nuhu Gapsiso and Mr Joseph wilson

The achievements of Mass Communication Department, University of Maiduguri are enormous. To exhaustively discuss these achievements, one needs to write a voluminous book. But, as much as possible, some key achievements are recorded here as a means of unveiling the department to the world like never before.

It might interest you to know that the language of people in the academia is "publish or perish." In line with global standards which require lecturers to contribute to knowledge through research and writing of working resource requirements for courses, Mass Communication lecturers, University of Maiduguri have been doing their best possible. The department has contributed to knowledge in the field of Mass Communication in various aspects. For instance, in 2002 the department published an epoch-making book of readings- Introduction to Specialized Reporting- to solve the problem of the narrow scope of journalism in Nigeria.

According to late Professor Jubril Bala Mohammed, former head of the department, the book is meant to "facilitate the effort to lend journalism in this and other African countries, some degree of depth."

Similarly, the department over the years has helped in transforming the ugly face of journalism in Nigeria through constructive researches published both in foreign and local journals. These researches are well vetted before they are deemed to have met international standard before they are published. The current head of the department, Dr. Umaru Pate (a reader) has edited and co-edited several books of reading including Mass Media and Society in Nigeria which he co-edited with Professor Lai Oso, a seasoned communication scholar.

Another achievement of this department is the hosting of the national conference of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) two times in history. This is no small achievement. There are some Mass Communication Departments in Nigeria who cannot boast of hosting this unique annual conference even once. According to Dr. Danjuma Gambo, a former head of the department, the 2009 ACCE conference held in University of Maiduguri was as a result of the immeasurable contributions of this department in Nigeria.

In addition, note that lecturers from this department are holding key positions in ACCE and other Professional Mass Communication-related bodies. For instance, Dr Danjuma Gambo is the current Vice President of the ACCE. In a speech during the 2009 ACCE conference in University of Maiduguri, Professor Des Wilson, the Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Uyo emphatically praised Dr Gambo for organizing one of the best ACCE conference in history. Mohammed Murtala, also a lecturer at the department, is the current Secretary-General of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Borno Chapter. Not too long, Mallam Nassir Abbah Aji, another lecturer at the department was appointed as the commissioner of religious affairs in Borno State. And to crown it all, Dr. Abubakar Mu'azu was also appointed as the director of the Remedial Arts Programme of the University of Maiduguri.

In the area of teaching facilities, the department is not doing bad. It is regrettable that Mass Communication which is a social science course is classified as an Art course in University of Maiduguri. In spite this limitation, the department has done well compared to other Mass Communication departments elsewhere.

Before now, the department used to have a single studio which served as both television and radio studios, but now the story has changed. Apart from having a newly constructed standard television studio, more pieces of equipment have been acquired to replace the obsolete ones. Few years ago, the old studio was burgled but the department has been able to replace all the items stolen.

Since inception, the department has been battling with dearth of offices and class rooms for her lecturers and students. This is because the department has been sharing a block of building with the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies Department. This has made expansion practically impossible. Fortunately, a new Mass Communication complex is currently nearing completion.

When completed, the complex will have a photojournalism lab, standard studios, computer lab, newspaper and magazine lab, public relations lab, advertising lab, offices, class rooms, conference room and a mini theatre for stage rehearsals and performances. This is far more than what anybody ever anticipated. There are indications that on completion of the complex, the department will diversify its degree programme to include specialisation in the fields of Advertising, Public Relations and Photojournalism just like University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Lagos.

To crown it up, an FM station for the department is also nearing completion. Globally, it is widely accepted that the apex achievement of a Mass Communication department is the running of a campus FM. In Nigeria currently, only a few universities can boast of a campus FM. When completed, the FM will aid the students of the department to practice what they are being taught in class rooms.

The department also publishes an annual newspaper called Tambari. This initiative which is rare in other Mass Communication Departments across Nigeria is aimed at exposing students to the practical aspect of newspaper production and how the press operates.

Known for setting high standards, the department expects every student to publish a good feature in a national newspaper. Though it appears impossible, this academic requirement for students to pass a course in Feature writing has exposed students to the basic secrets of writing good Features.

In sum, as indicated earlier, the achievements of this department are enormous. To do justice to it is to write a book. But the focus of this work is to summarise these achievements as much as possible for the world to see.