The idea of establishing an international institute of journalism to train and retrain journalists in Africa was first mooted at a meeting of the executive committee if the International Organisation of Journalists (OIJ) in 1986.
The meeting suggested the establishment of a school in Africa similar to those in Prague, Czech Republic and Budapest, Hungary among, others.
Following intense lobbying, the Nigerian delegation to the meeting, led by then National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), George Izobo and his Deputy, Nasir Zahradeen, secured the institute for Nigeria.??
In 1994, the NUJ national executive council got the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja off the ground with academic programmes in Computer Studies and French while diploma programmes in journalism were added in 1995.??
However, although the IIJ now runs diploma, higher diploma and postgraduate diploma programmes in journalism, advertising and public relations, all appears not to be going well with the institute at the moment.
In fact, only a forthright ago, the institute’s alumni met in Abuja to brainstorm over the way out for their alma mater, which is currently dogged by a myriad of challenges.
Though the outcome of the alumni meeting has not been made public, stakeholders say the IIJ, Abuja is reeling under the problems of inadequate space for both academic and accommodation purposes for workers and students, low staff morale engendered by poor welfare packages, poor revenue generation and high cost of rent.
Deputy Director IIJ, Nick Igwenagu, admitted as much in an interview with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND.
Igwenagu said: “The school’s major challenge is our ouster from our former premises in Area 11 by the erstwhile FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. We are now in a rented building, which is very expensive.”
The institute, which now operates from Hamdala Plaza, Asokoro, Abuja was initially at Area 11, where structures built for a proposed model primary school in the area were converted and redesigned to suit its operations. However, El-Rufai, in 2006, sacked the IIJ from that location as part of his crusade to restore the Abuja master plan.
Igwenagu noted that paying rent and meeting staff welfare expectations had become a big challenge in the institution at the moment, even as he said the problems were surmountable.
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND gathered that the poor remuneration regime at the IIJ has dealt a huge blow to work ethics among academic and non-academic workers in the school.
To be sure, most of the employees are not happy with their emoluments. Some of them who spoke under the condition of anonymity lamented over the poor pay.
One of them said: “With what we get as salaries, you can assert without any fear of contradiction that there is no welfare package for lecturers in the institute. There is no motivation or encouragement of any sorts. Imagine a situation where a guest lecturer is paid N700 per hour. I have never heard of any other institution where such an amount is paid to lecturers. How do you expect such lecturers to give their best to the students? It is simply impossible!”
LEADERSHIP WEEKEND learnt that the N700 per hour stipend for part-time lecturers started off in 2009 following several complaints from them. Before then, it was N500 per hour.
The school has 23 resource persons and seven full-time lecturers. The part-time teachers alleged that they were being treated as outcast by the IIJ authorities, whereas they constitute the greater percentage of the teaching staff.
An academic member of staff alleged: “We are not being treated well at the IIJ. Welfare for resource persons is not of any concern to the school management. When we teach, we usually sign time sheet for the hours covered in lectures. But when the time for payment comes, there is always the excuse that the time sheet is missing. This excuse usually leads to a cut in the amount the lecturers should collect.
“Whenever the resource persons complain that the money is not enough, they will threaten them with sack. This is very unfair.”
Consequently, many lecturers have allegedly developed a lackadaisical attitude towards their duties. Some have also allegedly resorted to selling handout to students at exorbitant rates to make ends meet. Many are looking out for greener pastures.
However, Igwenagu submitted that the IIJ “cannot take care of people beyond the amount of money it is generating. Your welfare package must be commensurate with the revenue profile of your organisation. You cannot generate N1 million and pay out N2 million. It is not done anywhere.”
Igwenagu also claimed ignorance of any official complaints from any member of the teaching staff, saying no IIJ lecturer had turned bad or quit the job over poor pay.
He stressed that the institute “is not a money-making venture. Rather, it is an agency devoted to social services, more than any other considerations.”
The deputy director added: “Lecturers complaining about the stipends we pay here are probably greenhorns. When they were employed, they accepted the conditions of service. If they felt that their welfare was not adequate, nothing stopped such person from rejecting it at the initial stages.”
The institute, according to Igwenagu, has done well, considering its humble beginning and the challenges it had surmounted since then.
“Where we are today is a long way from where we were some five years ago,” he stated.