By:Mayen Etim
KADUNA, North-West, Nigeria – In its bid to check quacks in the profession, the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Kaduna State Council has launched a compendium of its members.
The compendium is a list of members who has been screened by the chapel based on NUJ Constitution.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the new office of the Chapel on Friday, April 27, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Midat Kakuri said the compendium will be updated from time time as new members join the chapel.
In his remarks, the National President of NUJ, Comrade Abdulwaheed Odusile said Journalists have the responsibility in maintaining peace and order in the society; and therefore tasked them to put the interest of the people first.
Odusile who was represented by the Kaduna State Council Chairman, Comrade Adamu Yusuf, urged Journalists to adhere to the ethics of the profession and get involved in developmental reportage.
The NUJ President added that the Correspondents’ Chapel comprises of media representatives nationally and internationally covering activities in the state.
He advised members of the noble profession to always strive to show ultimate allegiance to citizens by putting public interest and truth above self interest
“We must commend the efforts of the Executive Members of this Chapel for launching its compendium, the full names and pictures of their members will complement the efforts of the state and national body of NUJ to fish out quacks among us and that will also help sanitize the system.
“Few of the obligations of journalism if I am to remind you are: truth, objectivity, balance and social responsibility to the state, country and the world in general,” he said.
The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who was the guest of honour, assured the media in the state of collaboration with the State Government.
The Governor who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, said his government will not clamp down on the media unnecessarily.
He however, urged Journalists to uphold the ethics of the profession and not allow themselves to be used as tools for disintegration.
In the same vein, the Senator representing Kaduna South Senatorial zone in the Upper Chamber, Danjuma La’ah, called on the media to extend its tentacles to his zone especially in the area of insecurity; and in their reportage inform the government that his zone has been marginalized in infrastructural developments.