Sarah Jolayemi
The need for and essence of practical approach to learning has been stressed by the department of Mass Communications, University of Ilorin by organizing its annual advertising competition an event that brings several Universities and Polytechnics together.
The 2023 edition of the competition, code named, PITCH -A-TON came up at basement of the Main Auditorium of the University of Ilorin on Tuesday during which Mass Communication students from participating institutions made presentations showcasing their depth of understanding of the theoretical knowledge they learnt in comparison with practical reality of advertisement in contemporary world of reality.
Welcoming guests and competitors and participant to the event, the Head of department of Mass Communications, Dr Kehinde Kadijat Kadiri explained the importance of the competition as a bridge between the Town and the Gown.
She harped on the need for academic institutions to collaborate with practitioners on modern ways of advertisement in a way that both Students and their Lecturers could learn about what cannot be taught in the classrooms.
Earlier at the event, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulWahab Egbewole, SAN welcome all participants and advised them to maximize the opportunity presented by the department of Mass Communication of the University of Ilorin.
Also, the Deen of the Faculty of Mass Communication, Professor Abdulazeez Adesina, in his welcome charge, commended the organizers of the event for a job well done and extoled the invited professionals for the honour to have graced the occasion.
Some of the invited professional at the event include Advertising Icons such as the Chief Executive Officer of Oxygen Academy, Mr Ozoemena Mbanefo, Biodun Adefila and Mr Joe-Eugene Onuoraha, a Juror, who stood in for Dr Fadolapo, Chairman of Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON in view of his absence at the competition.
The professionals while speaking on the essence of advertising and need for professionalism in the practice made presentations and further enlightened students and participants on what goes into every advertisement seen in display and the considerations for making them up.
Participants from various institutions made their presentations using their best known approaches imbibing both practical and theoretic knowledge showcasing what they had been taught in the class room.
At the end of the competition, Kwara state polytechnic with a total score of 217 points came first beating seven other participating institutions.
The host, University of Ilorin came second with a total of 194 points while Summit University, Offa took the 3rd position with a score of 184 points.
At the highlight of the event was music rendition by Lydia Odunayo Afolabi, a 400 level student of Mass Communication department who showcased her talent as a singer and star in the making.
HIS ORGANIZATIONS The Chief Executive Officer of Oxygen Academy, Ozoemena Mbanefo finally announced scholarship for some members of the winning teams for their impressive performance at the competition.
