FCT NUJ To Revive Secondary School Press Clubs, Groom Next Generation Journalists

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, is set to relaunch press clubs in public secondary schools across Abuja as part of a broader campaign to nurture ethical, grassroots journalism.

Announcing the initiative during an interactive session with students at Government Secondary School (GSS), Garki, NUJ FCT Vice Chairman, Comrade Yahaya Ndababo, said the union wanted to cultivate professional standards from the grassroots.

“Our goal is to promote professionalism from the grassroots by empowering students with journalistic skills and values early on,” Ndababo told the gathering, noting that the programme will give teenagers their first taste of ethical reporting and newsroom responsibility.

The Press Club Revival Project will officially kick off on Thursday, 24 July 2025, starting with two pilot schools in Abuja. NUJ officials said training workshops, mentorship visits from practising journalists and inter‑school story contests will follow in the programme’s first year.

Ndababo described the project as “an effort to bring up future generations committed to ethical journalism,” adding that the union’s education committee is already designing a handbook on media ethics, news writing and fact‑checking for participating schools.

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Representing the school leadership, Mrs Udofia Emauwa Unyime, Matron of the GSS Garki Press Club, hailed the move as “timely and visionary.”

“This project will ignite students’ passion for journalism,” she said. “It gives them a platform to ask critical questions, hold society accountable and learn the discipline of balanced reporting.”

The revival drive forms a centrepiece of the upcoming 2025 NUJ FCT Press Week, which will feature seminars on press freedom, media development and civic responsibility under the theme “Journalism in a Changing World: Press Freedom, Media, Democracy and Society.”

NUJ leaders said the school‑club programme will eventually extend to all six area councils and private schools that express interest, creating a pipeline of trained reporters who understand both the rights and duties that come with press freedom.