From Classrooms To Newsrooms: MAPOLY Press Club Walks In Footsteps Of Legends, Honours Odufowokan At 50
For the students, who are members of the Press Club of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Abeokuta, Ogun State, Wednesday August 5, 2026, was a day when the classroom gave way to the newsroom, textbooks gave way to real-life journalism, and lessons in theory became encounters with the people and institutions shaping the profession.
What began as an educational media tour soon became a journey through the history, ethics and future of journalism in Ogun State.
The students visited some of Abeokuta’s significant media and professional institutions, including Ogun State Television (OGTV), Penpushing Media and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council, Iwe-Iroyin
The tour was organised as part of activities marking the 50th birthday anniversary of Otunba ‘Dare Odufowokan, Senior Special Assistant to the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Public Communications and a former President of the MAPOLY Press Club and ex-Editor -In- Chief of
Facts Magazine, a publication of the club.
For the young Journalists, however, it was much more than a birthday celebration as the golden tone of Odufowokan’s celebration provided a rhythm that swayed them into professional discoveries.
It was a rare opportunity to walk through the footprints of those who came before them, understand how journalism has evolved and, perhaps most importantly, begin to imagine where their own journeys could lead.
A Walk Through Journalism’s History
The first major stop was OGTV, where the students were introduced to the history and operations of Television Broadcasting in Ogun State.
Mr. Tunde Sodeke, a staff member of the station addressed the students briefly while the Assistant General Manager, Mr. Biodun Alabi, took the students through the evolution of OGTV, explaining how broadcasting has developed from its early years to the modern newsroom.
According to him, OGTV commenced transmission on December 25, 1981, under the administration of the late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, the first civilian Governor of Ogun State.
The students were also exposed to the different stages involved in Television News production and broadcasting, giving them an opportunity to understand what happens behind the camera before a news report eventually reaches the audience.
For students who had previously encountered broadcast journalism mainly through lectures and textbooks, seeing the process first-hand brought a different meaning to what they had been taught in class.
The visit also offered a glimpse into the technological and professional processes involved in gathering, processing and transmitting information to the public.
A Surprise Encounter With A MAPOLY Product
One of the most memorable moments of the tour came when the students met with the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide of the Ogun State House of Assembly at OGTV.
The encounter carried a special significance.
Rt. Hon. Elemide is an alumnus of Ogun State Polytechnic now MAPOLY, the same institution where the students are currently pursuing their education and where the Press Club began its own journey.
The Speaker shared aspects of his academic and leadership experience with the students and urged them not to lose sight of the primary reason they were in school.
He challenged them to combine practical exposure with serious academic commitment, stressing that opportunities to learn should never be taken for granted.
“We are products of this same institution. Stay focused, be diligent, and let your training count,” he told the students.
The Number three man in Ogun State further advised them to maximise every opportunity that could broaden their knowledge and professional experience, noting that successful careers in journalism require more than classroom instruction.
For the students, the Speaker’s presence became a living example of what can happen when education, discipline and determination are combined.
Take Journalism Seriously’ – Penpushing Publisher
At Penpushing Media, the students were warmly received by its Chief Executive Officer/ Publisher, Comrade Demeji Kayode.
Comrade Demeji encouraged the aspiring Journalists to take their chosen profession seriously and begin building their professional capacity while still in school.
He explained that Penpushing Media had provided practical training for several people who entered the profession with little or no newsroom experience and subsequently developed into professional journalists.
He also assured the students that the organisation’s doors remain open to MAPOLY students who are willing to learn and gain practical newsroom experience.
The message was simple but significant: journalism is not a profession that can be mastered entirely from the classroom.
It requires practice.
It requires curiosity.
It requires the courage to ask questions, the discipline to verify information and the humility to learn from those who have gone ahead.
At NUJ Ogun State Council, Iwe iroyin, The Students were reminded that Journalism Is A Trust
If OGTV showed the students how news gets to the audience and Penpushing exposed them to contemporary newsroom practice, their visit to the NUJ Ogun State Council brought them face-to-face with perhaps the most important question in journalism: What responsibility comes with the power to inform the public?
The NUJ Ogun State Council, represented on behalf of its Chairman, Comrade Akinwale Olanrewaju, by The Vice Chairman Comrade Abiodun Lawal and the Secretary, Comrade Bunmi Adigun, charged the students to make truth, integrity and professionalism the foundation of their careers.
The Council reminded the students that Ogun State occupies a special place in Nigeria’s journalism history.
It noted that the state’s media heritage dates back to 1859, when Iwe Iroyin, regarded as Nigeria’s first newspaper, was established by the missionary Rev. Henry Townsend.
The students were also introduced to the role of the NUJ as the umbrella body for Journalists in Nigeria, with the Union comprising 36 State Councils and the Federal Capital Territory, while Malam Alhassan Yahaya serves as its National President.
But beyond history and institutional structures, the NUJ’s message was about responsibility.
Journalism, the Council explained, is the process of gathering, verifying, writing and reporting information to inform, educate and, where appropriate, entertain the public across newspapers, radio, television and digital platforms.
The students were urged to understand that journalism is not simply about being the first to publish.
It is about being right, fair and responsible.
In an era where social media has made it possible for unverified information to spread within seconds, the students were challenged to cultivate the habit of verifying every piece of information before publication.
The Council described credibility as one of the greatest assets any journalist can possess and warned the aspiring journalists against allowing personal interests or financial inducements to compromise professional ethics.
The students were encouraged to read widely, sharpen their writing and communication skills and embrace digital journalism in order to remain relevant in an industry undergoing rapid transformation.
They were also reminded that journalism should be used to promote justice, accountability, peace and national development.
More Than A Press Club
The NUJ further described the MAPOLY Press Club as an important training ground where students can develop practical skills in news writing, interviewing, public speaking and leadership.
The students were urged to approach every assignment with seriousness and discipline, seeing themselves not merely as learners but as the next generation of journalists whose work could influence public opinion and contribute to the strength of democracy.
The Council pledged continued support through mentorship, professional engagement and opportunities for practical exposure.
That message appeared to capture the true essence of the media tour.
The Press Club was not merely taking students on an excursion.
It was exposing them to the ecosystem they hope to join.
Celebrating A Legacy At 50
At the heart of the entire journey was one man whose own story connects the past, present and future of the MAPOLY Press Club, Otunba ‘Dare Odufowokan.
As President of the Club and Editor-in-Chief of Facts Magazine, almost three decades ago, Odufowokan started from the same student platform now occupied by the young journalists who toured Abeokuta’s media institutions.
Five decades after his birth, his journey has become part of the inspiration behind the students’ own aspirations.
The students were officially received by Odufowokan and members of the Press Club during the activities, turning the birthday celebration into an opportunity for the older generation to interact directly with those who would eventually inherit the profession.
His journey offered the students something that no textbook could provide: proof that the road from student journalism to professional influence is real.
The tour therefore became a symbolic passing of the baton, from experienced journalists and communication professionals to students preparing to take their first serious steps into the industry.
From OGTV, where they saw the machinery behind television broadcasting, to Penpushing, where they encountered contemporary digital journalism; from the NUJ, where they were reminded of ethics and public trust, to the State House of Assembly, where an alumnus urged them to remain focused, the students encountered different sides of the profession in a single day.
‘We Were Trained By Legends’
By the end of the tour, what remained was more than photographs, handshakes and memories.
The students had seen the newsroom.
They had heard stories from Practitioners.
They had encountered a MAPOLY alumnus who had risen to become Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
They had been reminded of Ogun’s historic place in Nigerian Journalism.
And they had been challenged to uphold the values that give Journalism its credibility.
For the young members of the MAPOLY Press Club, the experience could well become one of those moments they remember years later, when they look back and realise that their professional journey did not begin with their first employment, but with the day they stepped out of the classroom and into the world they had only read about.
And perhaps that is the most fitting tribute to Odufowokan at 50.
The generation he once led as a student journalist is now preparing another generation to carry the microphone, notebook, camera and digital platform forward.
As the students returned to campus, they carried with them more than notes from a field trip.
They carried history, lessons in ethics, practical knowledge and a renewed understanding that journalism is not merely a career.
It is a responsibility.
Global Mirror News gathered that the educational tour formed part of activities marking Odufowokan’s 50th birthday and was designed to give MAPOLY Press Club members practical exposure to Journalism, Public Communication and Professional Media Practice.
