A reporter of the doyen community newspaper in Nigeria, Oriwu Sun, Ramson Acheme, bagged First-Class honours in a private university. The reporter who is currently the News Editor of Oriwu Sun newspaper Ikorodu, went through a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication programme at the Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin and emerged with First Class honours with a cumulative grade point average of 4.65 on a 5-point scale.
Though he had a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Benin and a professional diploma in Public Relations from the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR Lagos, Ramson enrolled for a top-up and conversion programme where he successfully converted his Higher National Diploma (upper credit) to a Bachelor of Science. He is currently a Ph.D. applicant of Mass Communication with the view of majoring in community journalism.
Speaking with the publisher of Oriwu Sun, Chief Monzor Olowosago, Ramson told his boss he appreciates working with the foremost community newspaper in Nigeria and is looking forward to commence a Ph.D. in community journalism to further study Oriwu Sun and other community media houses in Ikorodu. “Having done my B. Sc. final year project on community newspapers in Ikorodu, I look on the idea of focusing my Ph.D. thesis on community media and I would like to use Ikorodu as my scope of study.
Though, I already based my Ph.D. thesis on the evolution of media technologies, my experience with the Oriwu Sun has made me consider changing my thesis to community media in Nigeria.” Ramson told his boss.
While speaking with the publisher, he explained to his boss the rough route he passed through to attain a First Class degree. “Travelling from Ikorodu to Ilorin wasn’t easy, on many occasion I got exhausted from the tedious journey where I passed through terrible potholes along the way to Kwara and in school I had to do loads of assignments and other prerequisite practical programmes. There were moments I consider quitting the programme, but my programme coordinator, Mrs. Aminat Owolabi Sheriff was a very nice women, she encouraged me to complete the programme, and I am grateful I did.”
Though a PhD applicant at the University of Benin, Ramson Acheme is considering switching his programme to Lagos State University to be closer to Ikorodu, the hub of community media in Nigeria and the university where they have professors with specialties in community journalism.