NIJ Celebrates Carol, Vacates For Yuletide Holiday
It was an atmosphere of merriment at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, as the institution marked its annual Christmas Carol program for the year 2023.
The event, which took place on Friday, December 15th, at the institution’s auditorium, also coincided with the end-of-year party to wrap up academic activities for the year.
In the spirit of the festive season, students of the communication school appeared in green, white, and red outfits, which created an appealing ambience that portrayed the yuletide’s beauty.
Commenting on the significance of the annual carol function, the president of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Mr Oluwatosin Awelewa, explained that the yearly programme brings both academic and non-academic staff members of the institution together with students to celebrate a fruitful year of learning and communication excellence.
In his words, “We want to let people know that we love Christmas, and it makes sense to come together like this at the end of the year to appreciate God who has been with us throughout the entire year.”
According to Mr Awelewa, “This is one programme organised by the Students Representative Council (SRC) that the management loves to attend. So it’s an interesting moment to see both students and lecturers come together to celebrate.”
The event featured song renditions from the NIJ’s fellowship choir, intense worship sessions, bible quizzes, and a stage play by the school’s drama unit that mimicked the birth of Jesus Christ.
Special guests, including Mr Niyi Akimbo, Coordinator of the Agege Youth Choir, were present and ministered in the programme.
However, it is worth noting that there was a relatively low turnout of students at the Carol programme.
Speaking with a student from the National Diploma, Chibukem Kelechi, he mentioned that the reason for the low attendance from his department was that many students were in a haste to return home for the holiday.
“NIJ receives students from all parts of the country, and many of us had to travel back home for the Christmas holiday, so I guess the programme wasn’t a priority for them. Some assumed it wouldn’t be interesting; unfortunately, they really missed a lot as there were lots of fun we enjoyed,” Kelechi revealed.
According to a communique from the school management, academic activities will resume on Monday, January 8th, and Friday, January 12th, 2024, for full-time and part-time students, respectively.
