Media's Role in Maternal Health Advocated by NOUN Professor

On August 27, 2026, Professor Henrietta Chidinma Onwubere, a Professor of Mass Communication at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), delivered the university’s 42nd Inaugural Lecture titled “Bridging the Airwaves and Lifelines: Broadcasting, Healthcare Journalism and the Struggle for Maternal and Child Health Rights in Nigeria” at NOUN headquarters in Abuja. She called for the media to take a more active role in defending maternal and child health rights and holding authorities accountable for healthcare delivery.

Onwubere argued that healthcare access should include accurate and timely information about health rights, not just the availability of facilities. She recommended the use of local languages in broadcasting, stronger partnerships between media and health institutions, and emphasized the importance of fact-checking to combat misinformation.

Additionally, she urged the government to invest in media capacity-building and for NOUN to enhance practical training for Mass Communication students. The Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, commended Onwubere for her multidisciplinary approach to this critical issue.