By: Imo Thomas -Umuahia.
The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has challenged media practitioners to let their work speak louder than their noise.
Governor Otti, who was represented by his Information Commissioner, Prince Okey Kanu, gave this charge while declaring open the 2025 Media Institute Training two-day conference with the theme “Image makers; Shaping culture, inspiring change through media”, put together by Vision Africa Training Institute to train media practitioners in Umuahia.
Governor Otti said that the media don’t just report the news, but they reconstruct it, and called on practitioners to be strategic partners in the collective journey of restoration, transformation, and renewal of Abia State.
He said that every media practitioner must answer three questions when reporting, “What story am I telling?, whose voice am I amplifying?, what future am I inspiring through this story?, and advise them to be
mediators between what is real and what is reported.
“In your little corner, lead by example, don’t worry if people criticize you, just stay focused and let your work speak louder than your noise,” Gov. Otti advised.
He equally called on the media practitioners being trained to acquire skills that will enable them to go out and tell the stories that matter.
He also thanked Vision Africa for being a shining star and raising the bar of media practice in Abia State.
In his keynote address, the keynote speaker, Dr. Troy Miller, President and CEO of NRBTV, said that media practitioners are the image of truth of God on earth and said any media that does not tell the truth will not be trusted by society.
According to him, “In every society, those who craft and share stories and inform the public through words, images, and sound, play a vital role in shaping how people see themselves, their communities, and the world.”
He said that the theme of the 2025 media training conference, “Image makers Shaping culture, inspiring change through media”, affirms the influence of broadcasters, storytellers, and content creators as agents of cultural definition and transformation.
In his closing remarks, the founder and President of Vision Africa, thanked the board of Vision for sustaining the training program and charged participants to go out there and put what they learn into practice for the betterment of society.
The media training conference that ended on Wednesday attracted media educators from Dallas Texas, headquarters of Vision Africa training Institute and local media practitioners, with topics like “media planning, Basic interview skills, roles of AI in writing, writing for print and Online, media resourcing, leadership and character in a time of crises, and open forum to ask follow -up questions on leadership, ethics, media influence and the future of faith -informed media work.