The Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos, said 60 graduates will receive Distinction certificates at its forthcoming seventh convocation ceremony.
The Provost of the institute, Mr Gbenga Adefaye, disclosed this during a press briefing on Wednesday.
He stated that a total of 707 students would graduate on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, across the National Diploma, Higher National Diploma, and Postgraduate Diploma programmes.
Adefaye revealed that the convocation lecture would be delivered by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Bashir Adeniyi, on Monday, May 5, 2025.
Titled ‘AI and Public Governance’ the lecture would take place at the Sir Kensington Adebukunola Adebutu Media Resource Centre and would attract scholars, public servants, media practitioners, and industry stakeholders.
He added that the convocation ceremonies would be chaired by veteran journalists and the chairman of the NIJ Governing Council, Aremo Olusegun Osoba.
Commenting on the current state of journalism education, Adefaye noted that while admission numbers had declined due to COVID-19 and the proliferation of universities, the institute remains committed to delivering quality training in communication and media.
He mentioned funding as a major challenge, noting that as a non-federal institution, NIJ could not access the national student loan scheme, despite contributing through taxation.
“We encourage our students to embrace technology and artificial intelligence as tools for innovation and growth. We may also introduce AI-checking software to maintain academic integrity,” he said.
