The 2025 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, continued with a spirit-filled thanksgiving service on Sunday at World Harvest Ministries, Jikwoyi, where media professionals sought divine strength and unity amid mounting challenges in the journalism landscape.
Delivering a sermon themed “Seeking Deliverance from the Athens Troubles of Life,” Archbishop Professor Leonard Bature Kawas urged journalists to remain spiritually alert and courageous. Drawing from Matthew 16:18–19, he reminded the congregation that they have been entrusted with divine authority and must resist fear, deception, and intimidation.
“There is a battle at every level of life,” the Archbishop declared. “You must know who you are and what you carry. Christians have been given the power to bind and to loose. Journalists, too, are workers in the vineyard of truth, and must boldly confront falsehood and darkness.”
The interfaith service was attended by a diverse audience of Christians, Muslims, and others, showcasing the inclusive spirit and unity that define the NUJ FCT Council.
Chairperson of the NUJ FCT Press Week Organising Committee, Evelyn Onyilo, described the gathering as one of gratitude to God for sustaining the union and guiding its leadership. She commended the resilience of the Council Chairperson, Comrade Grace Ike, over the past seven months.
“She went through many battles and emerged victorious, not by her might but by the Spirit of God,” Onyilo said. “She has led with strength and integrity, and NUJ FCT is rising under her watch.”
In her remarks after the service, Comrade Grace Ike reaffirmed the union’s commitment to press freedom and described this year’s theme “Journalism in a Changing World: Press Freedom, Media, Democracy, and Society” as timely and significant.
“Press freedom is non-negotiable,” she said. “Despite the growing threats of misinformation, harassment, and attempts to silence us, journalists must continue to speak truth to power. As the Archbishop rightly said, we are workers in the vineyard of truth, and what we declare shall come to pass. We declare freedom for the press, especially in the FCT.”
The NUJ FCT Press Week continues with a series of events aimed at deepening solidarity among journalists, promoting media ethics, and reinforcing the vital role of the press in Nigeria’s democracy particularly in this evolving age of artificial intelligence.
