NUJ FCT Press Week: Journalists seek divine strength amid rising challenges

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA – The 2025 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, continued on Sunday with a thanksgiving service at the World Harvest Ministries, Jikwoyi, where journalists gathered to seek spiritual strength and unity in the face of mounting challenges in the media industry.

In a sermon titled “Seeking Deliverance from the Athens Troubles of Life,” Archbishop Professor Leonard Bature Kawas charged journalists and worshippers to remain spiritually alert and courageous. Citing Matthew 16:18–19, he emphasized that believers carry divine authority and must not succumb to fear, falsehoods, or spiritual attacks.

“There is a battle at every level of life,” he said. “You must know who you are and not be caught unawares. Christians have the power to bind and to loose, and must reject the devil at every turn.”

The interfaith service, which attracted Christians, Muslims, and adherents of other faiths, underscored the unity and shared purpose that defines the NUJ FCT community.

Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of the Press Week Organising Committee, Evelyn Onyilo, expressed gratitude to God for sustaining the union and its leadership. She lauded FCT NUJ Chairperson, Comrade Grace Ike, for her resilience and dedication.

“She went through battles and came out victorious—not by her might, but by the Spirit of God,” Onyilo said. “She has represented you well, and we are proud of her achievements. NUJ FCT is rising under her watch.”

In her remarks, Comrade Grace Ike described the Press Week theme—“Journalism in a Changing World: Press Freedom, Media, Democracy, and Society”—as timely and crucial, particularly in the current era of Artificial Intelligence and digital disruption.

“Press freedom is non-negotiable,” she declared. “Despite the challenges—be it misinformation, disinformation, or harassment—journalists will continue to speak truth to power. We will not be intimidated. We are workers in the vineyard of truth, and like today’s sermon declared, whatever we declare shall come to pass. We declare press freedom for Nigerian journalists, especially in the FCT.”

The NUJ FCT Press Week continues with a lineup of activities aimed at fostering professional unity, defending media freedom, and reinforcing the media’s central role in Nigeria’s democratic development.

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