IZUNNA OKAFOR
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, has described blogging as a very interesting and lucrative venture.
Comrade Odogwu, PhD, made the call in his opening remarks at the 2022 Bloggers Summit, organised by the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, in collaboration with the Life International Hospital, currently ongoing in Awka, the state capital.
According to him, inasmuch as blogging is a lucrative venture, bloggers should also see it as a tool for enhancing societal development and reshaping the conscience of the society.
“Despite the entrepreneurship aspect of Blogging, let us avoid sensationalism and anything that is capable of causing or fueling crisis in the society,” he said.
He also warned that any society that ignores bloggers does so at his own peril; and called for the recognition of bloggers in every state because of what he said they have to offer in the development of the society.
“Even if the state or the society fails to recognize us, let us always report things objectively and contribute to the overall development and betterment of our society,” he advised.
Odogwu, who said he was the first person to start Blogging in Anambra State, described bloggers as the members of the Fifth Estate of the Realm; and further revealed that there are currently over 600 bloggers in the state today, with over 300 of them in Awka alone.
Dr. Odogwu also explained that the 2022 NUJ Bloggers Summit, which is the first of its kind in the state, is aimed at “galvanizing the Fifth Estate of the Realm, give them sense of belonging, chart a cause for them, and let them know that there are ethics in this practice, because many of them do not know that there are ethics guiding the practice of jounalism.”