Edith CHUKU
As part of efforts to check quackery in the journalism profession, the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Rivers State council, has flagged off members revalidation exercise.
The NUJ Chairman, Me Paul Bazia-Nsaneh, revealed that the exercise which commenced on Monday, was inline with the directive of the national secretariat.
While flagging off the members revalidation at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, Bazia-Nsaneh said “it will go a long way to checking the activities of quacks in the Journalism Profession.
“National Secretariat has already opened a website for the registration and directed all State Councils to revalidate members of all the Chapels.
“Before then, we had earlier set up a committee for that purpose. At the end of this exercise, we are expected to forward the data of revalidated members to the National Secretariat, for onward production of their identity cards.”
He emphasized that at the end of the revalidation exercise, the already established taskforce on quackery would swing into action by clamping down on impersonators, with a view to prosecuting them.
Bazia pointed out that the NUJ Constitution has already spelt out the minimum qualification for journalists as Bsc, BA and HND in Mass Communication or Journalism.
He added that those who studied other disciplines in their first degrees are expected to have post graduate diploma PGD, in relevant disciplines to qualify them to practice as journalists.
According to the chairman, the national secretariat has opened a website for the registration of journalists across the country, awaiting the list of revalidated members from the 36 councils nationwide, including the FCT.
Bazia who declared the revalidation exercise open, called on Journalists to ensure they participate in the exercise, as the outcome he said would form a compendium for Journalists practice in Rivers State
The revalidation committee is led by Mr Godpower Lekia Anya.
