FCMB tasks media on creative thinking

Journalists in Nigeria must adopt creative thinking and innovative skills in order to meet the demands of today’s fast-pace age to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
They have been urged to always ensure due diligence and uphold the ethics of the media profession in line with global best practices. These are on account of the importance and influence of the media on the society.
These among other advises came from Idorenyen Enang, chief executive, Corporate Shepherds Limited, the guest speaker at a media parley organised by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited for financial journalists in Lagos on October 18, 2016.
Speaking on the topic, ‘’Raising the Bar’’, Enang, who was the guest speaker, stated that considering the ongoing challenges and reforms in the country, a lot is expected from the media, especially financial journalists, in terms of creative thinking, analysing facts and bringing innovation to bear.
According to him, “it is imperative for media practitioners to re-create a mental shift and a transformational mindset that will boost their growth from being ‘just correspondents’ to agenda setters and solution providers.’’
The interactive forum, attended by correspondents covering the money and capital markets in addition to other spheres, is part of the bank’s initiatives to further promote excellence, build capacity of media practitioners, spur ideas, deepen relationships and appreciate their role in the dissemination of quality and balanced communication within the country and beyond.
Enang, a former managing director of Samsung Nigeria and marketing director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, added, “it is important to emphasise that boosting creative and innovative abilities takes attentive practice. Creativity is the development of ideas; innovation is the execution of those ideas. So, we cannot be innovative without first learning how to think creatively. Recognising and honing one’s creative potential is a process.’’ He therefore admonished media practitioners to expand the frontiers of their knowledge base by adopting practices that would enable them reinvent themselves and the entire media industry in order to contribute significantly to national development.
The guest speaker pointed out that financial journalism is a critical segment that requires in-depth knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of socio-economic issues and the environment, hence journalists in this area need to think outside the square by being more creative in their thinking, innovative and objective in writing and reporting, and analytical in reviews to avoid misinformation and ambiguity.
In his comment, the Group head, Corporate Affairs of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Diran Olojo, restated the bank’s commitment to continually engage and impact on the media and other stakeholders in a sustainable manner.
According to him, “given the importance of the media, especially financial journalists, this session presents a platform to empower the fourth estate of the realm, highlighting their role as key influencers and arming them with the requisite knowledge that promotes values of professionalism and ethics. As a financial institution, FCMB is driven by the culture of excellence. We believe that our success as an organisation is hinged on our ability to ensure the long-term success of all our stakeholders. We need the full support of the media to actualise this objective. On our part, we will continue to provide constant support for the media in their drive to practise and uphold ethical journalism at all times and in all situations.’’

Iheanyi Nwachukwu