By Ayomide Otitoju
Polaris Bank Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to media development by hosting a hybrid capacity-building seminar for over 500 journalists across Nigeria and beyond. The seminar, themed “Empowering Journalists in the Digital Age: Storytelling, Tools & Transformation,” aimed to enhance the skillsets of media professionals navigating today’s evolving digital landscape.
In his opening address, Rasheed Bolarinwa, Head of Brand Management and Corporate Communications at Polaris Bank, noted that the initiative is part of the bank’s 12-year legacy of investing in media capacity building. He emphasized that strengthening the capabilities of journalists serves the broader goal of societal development.
Quoting a Chinese proverb, Bolarinwa said Polaris Bank believes in “teaching people to fish” by equipping journalists with tools for self-sufficiency and professional growth—an approach consistently endorsed by the bank’s executive management.
Training sessions were led by Taiwo Obe, Founder of The Journalism Clinic, and Abayomi Adisa, a senior journalist with the BBC.
Obe traced the evolution of digital journalism, highlighting milestones like the advent of mobile journalism (MoJo) and the 2007 launch of the Reuters Mojo Toolkit, which transformed field reporting. He encouraged journalists to embrace emerging tools and technologies, including AI, to expand storytelling formats—moving beyond text to include video, audio, interactive graphics, and data visualization.
Adisa’s session focused on writing for social media. He urged journalists to craft content that is concise, relatable, and shareable, capable of cutting through the noise of digital platforms to capture audience attention.
In her closing remarks, Bukola Oluyadi, Polaris Bank’s Group Head, Customer Experience and Value Management, reiterated the bank’s ongoing commitment to media empowerment.
“Capacity building is not a one-off event but a continuous journey. The future of our society depends on a strong, informed media,” she said.
The annual seminar continues to serve as a flagship initiative by Polaris Bank in support of responsible journalism and digital innovation in media practice.
