Press Release: OMPAN anchors in Cross River, holds first meeting with new Excos appointed

| 16 April 2018 |

Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria, OMPAN, has formerly launched a chapter in Cross River state as it held her first meeting last Friday, 13 April, 2018 in the state where the Cross River State chapter Excos were appointed to foresee the growth and development of the association in the State which will contribute a quota to the national level. 

In the meeting, 5 positions were being occupied out of the 13 agreed at the National conference, Owerri 2018. The Positions are, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer (PRO)/Editor and Welfare/Organising Secretary. Some of the offices have to be merged for a time being. 

Nyok, who presided over the meeting informed members that, "our meeting was necessitated because as Online Journalists, operating in Cross River State, we all need a broader platform that will give us a national and international coverage". 

He went on to intimate the house that about 7 Publishers/Bloggers from Cross River State attended the OMPAN National Convention in Owerri (where he emerged as the National PRO 3) and were mandated as a State to set up a structure or chapter of OMPAN with specific guidelines. 

After much deliberation, it was agreed that for the interim, a 5-man Executive Committee be set up to pilot the affairs of the state. On that note the following persons emerged as the State officers:

1. Chairman - Efio-Ita Nyok  of negroidhaven.org

2. Secretary - Ukorebi Esien  of Thedailynewsng.com

3. Treasurer -  Richard Odu of Calabar24.com

4. Editor/PRO - Frankie Ifop of Calabarreporters.com

5. Welfare/Organising Secretary - Trinity Jesam of detailingcrossriver.com

It was agreed at the end of the meeting that as a new body, frequent meetings will help strengthen and unite the association as well as make it formidable. Members were advised to eschew actions and attitudes that will bring failure and disunity amongst them. In the same vein, members were all charged to revive their platforms and make it active and visible with current and trending stories that will differentiate the association from others. 

Below are the participating platforms:

1. NegroidHaven (www.negroidhaven.org)

2. TheDailyNewsNg.com

3. Calabar Reporters (www.calabarreporters.com) 

4. Calabar24 (www.calabar24.com.ng)

5. New Nigerian 

6. MyCrossRiver (www.mycrossriver.com)

7. Daily News (www.dailynewsng.com)

8. DetailingCrossRiver

9. VopLink (www.voplink.com)

10. Nigeria Sparrow (www.nigeriasparrow.com)

11. ThePost-Ng (www.thepost-ng.com)

12. Fearless Reports (www.fearlessreports.com)

#OMPANOWerri2018: Freedom after speech is real freedom of speech - Owelle Rochas

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has said that real freedom of speech as postcribed in the Nation's constitution will only be effective if there is freedom after speech.

The Governor, who was represented by his commissioner for Information, Professor Nnamdi Obiaraeri, made this known on Friday at the ongoing National Convention of Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OMPAN) at Imo Trade and Investment Centre, Owerri. 

He called on delegates at the Convention to ensure their news contents are in tandem with the approved ethics of the profession, adding, "When you own an online platform, it is not for you to cyber stalked people and do all those kind of blackmailing things to get money out from people. The damage you can do is enormous".

"As a body that has come to stay, OMPAN must take its members on legal execution and educate them on the true practice of journalism, because there is a law that regulates what you do, what you must not publish and how you must not publish. If you are not prepared to play by the rules, you cannot exist in a civilized community," he added.

"Freedom after speech is the real freedom of speech. For any freedom you have to pay something for is not freedom. Freedom of speech is not a right to lampoon the integrity of others."
Governor Okorocha called on OMPAN to draw strength from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which have regulatory bodies backed by the law of the National Assembly.