NOUN Professor Canvasses Stronger Media Action on Maternal, Child Health Rights

Professor Henrietta Chidinma Onwubere, a Mass Communication lecturer at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has urged for more robust and purposeful media involvement in safeguarding and advocating for the rights of mothers and children in Nigeria. She made this appeal during her university's 42nd Inaugural Lecture, titled "Bridging the Airwaves and Lifelines: Broadcasting, Healthcare Journalism and the Struggle for Maternal and Child Health Rights in Nigeria," held at NOUN's headquarters in Abuja.

Onwubere argued that radio and television broadcasting should not only focus on entertainment and conventional news, but also function as an influential platform for public education, advocacy, and accountability, particularly concerning the well-being of women and children. She pointed out that healthcare access is not solely dependent on the presence of hospitals, medical facilities, and healthcare professionals.

It also hinges on the availability of accurate, timely, and comprehensible information about health and healthcare rights to citizens. Onwubere proposed increased media coverage in local languages, deeper collaboration between media houses and health institutions, and more empathetic, people-centric health reporting. She emphasized that these steps would help citizens grasp their healthcare rights and enable them to hold authorities accountable.

Onwubere also highlighted the rising danger of misinformation on digital platforms and called for journalists and communication students to enhance their fact-checking and verification abilities to ensure precise and responsible health communication. In her suggestions, she called on the government and other stakeholders to invest in media capacity-building, provide better support for healthcare journalism, and place the welfare of women and children at the forefront of communication strategies and policy interventions.

The university professor also urged NOUN to bolster practical training facilities for Mass Communication students, asserting that hands-on experience is vital for delivering top-notch professional education and meeting the standards set by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Professor Shehu Usman Adamu, acknowledged the significance of inaugural lectures as platforms for scholars to share research findings and suggest solutions to societal challenges.

He praised Onwubere for incorporating her multidisciplinary expertise in nursing, education, law, and mass communication to tackle the crucial issue of maternal and child health. The Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies, Professor Sonnie Oniye, who delivered the concluding remarks, commended the lecture for linking academic scholarship with practical societal concerns and deepening public comprehension of communication's role in national development.