By Habibat Musa
The Institute of Strategic and Development Communication (ISDEVCOM) of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) is partnering with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to host its 6th International Conference on Development Communication, themed “Japa: Communicating Migration, Diaspora, and Africa’s Development” scheduled for March 27-28, 2025, at NSUK.
Newspeg Magazine reports that ISDEVCOM is dedicated to training experts in strategically communicating development initiatives to ensure ownership and sustainability.
A high-level ISDEVCOM delegation, led by Dr. Azubuike Erinugha, visited NAN Managing Director (MD) Ali M. Ali to formally request the agency’s partnership.
Dr. Erinugha expressed gratitude for the MD’s long-standing support of ISDEVCOM and emphasized the need for NAN’s extensive reach to ensure the conference’s message resonates across Nigeria and beyond.
“We are seeking NAN’s partnership to provide substantial reach and mobility across the 36 states of the nation, as well as outside Nigeria,” stated Dr. Erinugha.
“We also request NAN’s assistance in disseminating information to all media outlets in the country. This partnership will give the conference the desired boost it deserves and highlight the importance of discussions around migration and its impact on Africa.”
A key member of the ISDEVCOM team, Barr. Ephraim Okon Ph.D, ISDEVCOM Legal Adviser &
SA to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State on Grassroot Mobilisation, elaborated on the institute’s mission: “ISDEVCOM was established to ensure that development interventions are not just put together by those intervening, but are owned and designed in conjunction with the people who are supposed to be the beneficiaries.
“If interventions are not properly communicated for people to take ownership, developmental issues will persist. This conference is one of the avenues ISDEVCOM is contributing to communicating development.”
Also speaking, the Registrar of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Chief Uzoma Onyegbadue, highlighted the critical nature of addressing migration, stating, “We owe this country a duty to lift it from where it is to where it should be. The issue of migration presents a very nutty case for us.
“We are losing our doctors and professionals. We are now at the stage of creating the news, and that news revolves around the discussions we are going to have in the conference, and what value is it giving to us for a country.”
On her part, Chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, announced that the conference will feature two special humanitarian awards: one to the CEO of Air Peace for his patriotic efforts in airlifting Nigerians from crisis zones, and another to Pastor Stephen Olusola, Head of Operation at Vine Heritage Home Foundation (VHHF), for his work in rescuing displaced children and supporting the institute in its community engagement.
“The choice of honouring the CEO of Air Peace is deliberate because on at least three occasions, he has offered to airlift Nigerians in crisis situations in Sudan, South Africa, and Ukraine, free of charge,” she explained.
Responding, the Managing Director, NAN, Malam Ali M. Ali, warmly welcomed the delegation and affirmed NAN’s commitment to the partnership.
“Your call to the NAN for partnership is a call to the biggest news content provider in Africa. An event like this, on an international scale, finds us ready partners to take your story. We take local stories to the rest of Africa and African stories to the rest of the world. You have come to the right partner,” he stated.
He added, “Migration is something that is really a true change within human evolution. This theme couldn’t have come at a better time. We will look into possible areas of collaboration and provide whatever support we can, be it material or moral.”
The conference has already garnered significant support, with confirmations from the European Union, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), whose CEO will serve as a guest speaker, and a letter of invitation has been extended for a special guest of honour to deliver a message around the conference theme.
