Oyo NUJ charges members on professionalism

By Joseph Ajayi - 05.11.2009

THE acting chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Oyo State Council, Mr. Gbenga Ayoade, has appealed to all practising journalists in the state to register with the body in order to become professionals in the profession.

Mr. Ayoade, who made the appeal on Wednesday, in Ibadan, while swearing in new executive members of the NUJ, Nigerian Tribune chapel, said the era of practising journalism without having at least a diploma in journalism or mass communication was gone, adding that it was high time journalism became a respected profession like law and medicine by encouraging practitioners to have post-graduate diploma in the field.

To facilitate this, the acting chairman promised that the body would ensure a slash in the school fees of those who had been employed as journalists and were willing to take a post-graduate diploma course in journalism.

Maintaining that a journalist without a certificate in the profession could not be a registered member, Ayoade, however, said running a course in journalism would prepare potential journalists to adapt to the style of journalism, learn about its conducts, ethics and regulations as well as achieve pride of membership.

He charged the newly sworn-in executive of the NUJ, Tribune chapel, to be alive to their responsibilities and work to uplift the profession. While delivering his acceptance speech, the chairman of the NUJ, Tribune chapel, Mr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju expressed his happiness at his re-election and promised that the executive would leave a legacy worthy of emulation.

Other elected members of the Tribune NUJ executive include Mr. Sikiru Adeoye-Yusuf, vice president and Mr. Tunde Ogunesan, secretary.