‘Future of Strategic Communications Education’ at PAU

GROUP Managing Director of SO&U Communications, Udeme Ufot, is expecteed to deliver a keynote address at the 20th anniversary of the School of Media and Communication, at Pan-Atlantic University, PAU, Lagos.

  The future of strategic communications education and the need to prepare the next generation of professionals for a rapidly changing world will take centre stage at the commemoration of the annivasary scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026.

 Ufot’s address, titled ‘Daring the Future of Strategic Communications Education in a Networked World’, will explore how communications education must evolve in response to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, AI, and changing audience expectations.

Drawing from his experience in the communications industry, he will examine the skills, attitudes and values required to equip future professionals to navigate emerging technologies, think strategically, build trust and communicate responsibly in an increasingly connected world.

 The keynote will also highlight the importance of bridging academic learning with industry practice, encouraging innovation and challenging conventional approaches to preparing students for the realities of the profession.

The anniversary marks two decades of the School.

 of Media and Communication’s contribution to media and communications education, providing an opportunity to reflect on the industry’s progress and consider the direction of its future. 

Chairman of the Forum of Former members of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Denge Onoh, has issued an urgent economic and political wake-up call to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking to an audience of traders, importers, and business communities from the South-East, South-South, and Middle Belt regions in Lagos, yesterday, Onoh said that the nation must deliberately elect competent leaders to arrest an unprecedented poverty crisis and secure its fiscal future.

Reacting to verified economic data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, and the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI, Onoh said that the hardship faced by Nigerians since May 2023, represents the sharpest decline in citizen welfare in the country’s modern democratic history.

“The facts before us are stark, painful, and undeniable.  

Nigerians have witnessed an unprecedented economic contraction that dwarfs the difficulties of past administrations. Since 2023, the combination of fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange unification has pushed national poverty from 56 percent to an estimated 63 percent, leaving over 140 million Nigerians below the poverty line. 

“The global MPI report confirms that 17.9 million Nigerians fell into multidimensional poverty in a mere three-year window, completely wiping out previous structural gains.”

Onoh noted that while past administrations experienced inflationary pressures, the current era has subjected citizens to a historic “poverty tax.” 

Headline inflation shattered a 28-year record by peaking near 35 percent, while food inflation hit an all-time high of 40.87 percent, forcing vulnerable households to spend up to 70 percent of their income entirely on food.

“With fuel prices skyrocketing by over 400 percent from N185 to over N1,000, and the Naira devaluing from N460 to over N1,500 against the US Dollar, household purchasing power has been completely decimated.”