Osoba advocates website for journalists’ registration
By Felicia Nwosu
Olusegun Osoba, former governor of Ogun State has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to create a website for the registration of practicing journalists in Nigeria. The former governor made this call at the maiden edition of NUJ Annual Milestone Recognition of Media Icons in Nigeria, where he was also honoured and recognised alongside other veterans like Sam Amuka-Pemu, Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers, Dr. John Momoh, Chairman and CEO of Channels TV, Bayo Onanuga, Editor-in-chief, The News, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communication and others.
“May today (Thursday, 8, December 2022) be the beginning of greater things for NUJ. I want to make an appeal that NUJ should establish a website at which all of us must register as members and anybody who is not registered would not be recognised as a practicing journalist. We need it. I can help you talk to some banks that will be ready to finance it. Let us have a website of registered Nigerian practicing journalist, not those who are calling themselves investigative journalists and several other names but never studied nor subscribe to our code of conduct. People who don’t even know what the profession is all about are now parading themselves as bloggers, content creators or online journalist, and wantonly destroying our name on different blogs. I am happy that all those professional blogs that we have are doing marvelously well, so all of us must go online and fight and flush out all those masquerading as journalists.
In an interview with journalists at the event, he expressed profound gratitude to the Union for the special award of honour and recognition as a Media Icon, particularly the special recognition bestowed on Prince Sam Amuka-Pemu, whom he described as the grandfather of journalism in Nigeria. He also encouraged and advised young and aspiring journalists to abide by the code of conduct to guide their journey to a successful journalism career.
“What I want to say to them (young journalists) is that they should learn to persevere. Journalism is one of the greatest profession on earth, and I know in heaven, as Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye used to say, there will be reporters in heaven, that all of us by the grace of God, when we have grown old and go to heaven, we will continue to report.”
He enjoined Nigerians to continue to support democracy and also have hope irrespective of the challenges confronting the nation.
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