NUJ set to develop journalists’ database

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) says the process of developing a database of journalists nationwide has commenced.

The NUJ president, Mr Waheed Odusile, said this when he visited Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his office on Friday in Abuja.

He said that having the database had become imperative to ascertain the exact number of journalists who are members of the NUJ in order to reposition the union and to enhance professionalism.

“We are trying to have a database all journalists in Nigeria; anywhere, we lay claim to being the largest in Africa that we have between 30, 000 and 40,000 members.

“But if you ask me, where is the list, we cannot produce it because we do not have the comprehensive list of journalists in Nigeria.

“We are trying to engage with an ICT firm, where we will capture the information of all our members; we will soon commence the re-registering our members, where we will capture their information including their fingerprints.

“We will be able to use whatever information we have; of course it will be captured on the new ID card that we are designing.”

He said that with the introduction of the ID card through the database system, the union would be able to eliminate quackery in the system.

According to him, quacks in the system have become worrisome for organisers of events and are creating a lot of problems for the professionals.

“But we are trying to see how we can get rid of all these people from our profession and the truth is that they are not even qualified to practice.”

Odusile also appealed to the management of NAN to sponsor staff who do not have professional qualification to attend either the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ) or Nigerian Institute of Journalists.

“There are certain things you also need to learn not just on the job but in the classroom. It will uplift the standard of practice of our members.”

He said the union will also fashion out ways of elevating the two institutions especially the IIJ as a finishing school in journalism just like the Law School.

Comments

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...

Man docked for defiling 9-year-old girl

magistrate-court A 33-year-old man, Godwin Otobo, was on Monday docked at a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.For allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, ‎Otobo, who lives at No. 10, Borrow Pit St., Sangotedo-Ajah area of Lagos, was said to have defiled the underage girl whose parents also reside in the same compound. The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the accused committed the offence at about 9.00 p.m. sometimes in September. “The accused defiled the girl in the night when she was fetching water.‎ “The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011,’’ Osayande told the court. The accused pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of defilement. Ruling on a bail application filed by the accused, Chief Magistrate Ipaye Nwachukwu, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. She said one of the sureties must be a property owner in Lagos State, while the other must be a civil servant on grade...

Global Naija Info

Search This Blog