Taiwo Obe’s Ideas Of Bringing Out The Entrepreneur In A Journalist – The IPC Platform

By Sodiq Yusuf

With over 4 decades of experience in this trade, Taiwo Obe, a Journalist, Publisher, Writer and man of many parts shares to every Journalist ways of becoming an Entrepreneur in Journalism without necessarily affecting one’s current job.

This is at the expense of a two day workshop organized by the International Press Centre, Lagos with support from the European Union held between 18-19th December, 2018 at Ideal Nest Hotel, Osogbo.

After breath-taking sessions with David Ajikobi of Africa Check and Prof Muyiwa Popoola, a don in Media and Communication Studies, the veteran takes the podium to share ideas with men of the pen profession in making huge financial and professional benefits off the numerous sources of opportunities in the ever growing media world.

But before the sessions, the Director, International Press Centre, Lagos who organized the workshop with support from the European Union, Mr Lanre Arogundade explained that the workshop is to give the participants adequate and important technical know-how on best practices especially as the 2019 General Elections is around the corner.

His words “The aim of the meeting also is to bring to the front burners the prerequisite to hone the skills of journalists in the professional and ethical reportage of democratic processes and elections as well as commit to professional, conflict sensitive, citizen focused, gender focused and digital reporting of the 2019 elections.”

“The media have a critical agenda setting role to support the integrity and credibility of elections. Not only must they take a lead role in ensuring that citizens are adequately mobilized, but they should also ensure that the entire process is open to public scrutiny.”

Arogundade urged journalists most importantly those covering elections to imbibe the principles of fairness, diversity and objectivity in reporting the electoral process and the elections “with the anticipation that this meeting will provide an integral opportunity for journalists to share their experiences to ensure best practice reporting for the 2 019 elections.

So as an upcoming and a discerning listener in the sessions, I would only share few of those points here:

• Your Employer Does Not Own You/You Own Yourself
• The First Day of Your New Job, Start Planning Your Next Job
• Build Your Audience (Moving from Job to Job)
• Building Relationships In Current Job
• Prioritize Opportunities
• Condition Yourself to Think Like a CEO Always
• Follow People (Social Media)
• Starting Conversations
• Reverse Position With the Audience

These and many more are essential things a Journalist must work with every day. The Veteran in his two sessions posited that the maximization of the varying opportunities provided by both contemporary and Social Media offers a lot to Improve on the Job.

In covering elections which was the basis of the workshop, the media guru was quick to urge Pen Pushers to be mindful of their content and engage in the laid down Best Practices provided.

On Entrepreneurship, Taiwo Obe identified Creativity in optimizing the Ingenuity and Journalistic Skill to bringing out results that will drive financial returns. He mentored the participants on the need to be creative, be aware of developments in their environment and produce content that would be of immense need by members of the society.

He also harped on the need for New Media practitioners to optimize the varying features of Computer Software Applications and the opportunities embedded in Smart Phones for better productivity and efficiency.

The two day workshop provided the platform for more knowledge for young media entrepreneurs and practitioners as well as exposing experienced members of the Pen Profession to the ideals of a Digital Savvy media world. The time for the experience gained was worth it!