By JKNewsMedia
RECONNECTING MORE than 10,000 graduates worldwide has become a priority for the Nigerian Institute of Journalism Alumni Association (NIJAA), which has launched a comprehensive directory to strengthen professional networking, mentorship, welfare and access to opportunities among its members.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the association has identified close to 1,000 alumni through its WhatsApp platforms, while 136 members had completed registration for the new Alumni Directory as of September 14, 2026.
NIJAA has consequently set October 12, 2026, as the deadline for the current registration phase.
According to the group, the initiative forms part of the new administration’s effort to transform the association into a more connected, data-driven and value-oriented institution.
NIJAA President, Muyiwa Akintunde, said the administration prioritised the directory because effective leadership begins with understanding the people an organisation represents.
“Leadership starts with knowing your people,” he said.
Akintunde said the Nigerian Institute of Journalism had produced professionals working across journalism, public relations, advertising, broadcasting, digital media, public service and entrepreneurship, both in Nigeria and internationally.
However, he said the alumni association had not previously maintained a single, credible and searchable database showing who its members were and where they lived.
“We cannot build a strong alumni association without first knowing our members. We cannot advocate for the alumni and connect them to opportunities; we cannot mobilise for our alma mater, if we cannot find ourselves,” Akintunde said.
The president described the directory as more than a membership register, saying NIJAA intends to develop it into a platform for professional expertise, opportunities, relationships and services within its alumni community.
He estimated that the institute had produced well over 10,000 graduates since its establishment, highlighting the scale of the exercise required to reconnect its widely dispersed alumni.
To reach former students who may have lost contact with the association, NIJAA plans to work through class captains and set representatives across National Diploma (ND), Higher National Diploma (HND), Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) and short-course programmes dating back several decades.
NIJAA administration is also focusing on alumni living abroad, with plans to establish NIJAA chapters in locations where significant concentrations of graduates exist.
Akintunde said the directory would allow alumni to register and maintain contact with the association regardless of where they live, ensuring that geographical distance does not prevent professional and personal connections.
Beyond reconnecting members, the initiative is expected to support structured professional networking, mentorship, welfare, recognition and access to opportunities.
Akintunde illustrated the directory’s intended value with examples of alumni seeking an editor in Kano, a public relations professional in Enugu, a media buyer in Lagos or a collaborator in London.
“Value remains hidden when people are invisible. The Directory makes us visible to each other,” he said.
The planned NIJAA Mentorship Connect will use the database to link younger graduates with experienced professionals, while a proposed NIJAA Opportunities Desk is expected to help members access jobs, fellowships, training, freelance engagements and other professional opportunities.
The association also intends to strengthen its welfare response by making it easier to locate members and respond to significant events affecting them.
Akintunde said the administration was considering further initiatives, including cooperative and health insurance arrangements, which would require a properly verified membership database.
The directory is also expected to help NIJAA identify and celebrate alumni achievements.
With more reliable information about members’ professional accomplishments, the association hopes to strengthen its alumni spotlight activities and develop initiatives such as merit awards recognising outstanding contributions across different fields.
Akintunde cautioned that the directory must offer practical value rather than become a static collection of names and telephone numbers.
“We realise that if the Directory ends as just a PDF of names and phone numbers in files, we have failed,” he said.
One of the administration’s planned developments is the introduction of digital NIJAA membership cards for verified members.
Akintunde said the cards would carry a unique NIJAA identification number, the member’s photograph, set and chapter details, alongside a QR code linked to the individual’s verified directory profile.
He described digital membership identification as a natural next step after the directory verification process, particularly for alumni living outside Nigeria.
The proposed system would support digital storage and sharing, while the QR code would enable verification of membership status. NIJAA also envisages using the cards to facilitate access to association events, programmes and selected member benefits.
Akintunde said the initiative reflects his administration’s broader plan to move NIJAA from a largely informal digital community towards a more organised institution with reliable records and systems capable of supporting long-term planning.
He urged alumni who had not reconnected with the association to complete their directory registration, regardless of when they graduated or whether they still worked in journalism.
“NIJ gave us more than a certificate. It gave us identity, it gave us craft, it gave us friends who became family. It gave us lecturers who shaped us. You cannot forget your root,” he said.
In a press statement signed by Mark Akhuetie, NIJAA National Publicity Secretary, Akintunde said the association’s existing connections represented only a fraction of the alumni population it hopes to reach.
“We have identified about 1,000 of us on our platforms, but we know we are more than 10,000. Imagine what 10,000 NIJ alumni can do for each other and for our great Institute if we are truly connected,” he said.
With registration ongoing until October 12, 2026, NIJAA is seeking to establish a verified record of its alumni’s identities, locations and professions, creating a foundation for the association’s planned networking, mentorship and membership services.
“This Directory is just the beginning,” Akintunde said.
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