The Nigeria Union of journalists, (NUJ) Abia State Council has been enjoined to present a bill to the Abia State House to enact a law making it compulsory for those being appointed as Chief Press Secretary and Commissioner for Information in the state to be certificated professionals in Mass Communication or Journalism.
Hagler Okorie, the Rector of Abia State Polytechnic, Aba gave the advice at NUJ Press Centre, Umuahia during the celebration of the 2023 World Press Freedom Day Public while delivering a Lecture themed ‘Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as A Driver For All Other Human Rights.’
Okorie, who is an Associate Professor in Law, advised journalists to always embrace continuous training and retraining to be abreast of the innovations in the profession.
He decried a situation in the country where quacks in the social media sphere have taken over the job of journalists by dishing out fake news to the unsuspecting members of the public.
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He challenged journalists to be all out to take back their profession from the quacks who have messed up the journalism profession.
In his lecture he noted that every individual shall have the right to receive information, the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the ambit of the law.
The legal luminary pointed out Freedom connotes the enjoyment of personal liberty and a state of not being under subjugation or denial of rights.
He further said that freedom of the Press entails no restraints or restrictions on a publication and not liberty from censure when an untrue or seditious material is published.
Chumdi Oluoha, a veteran Journalist and retired Permanent secretary in Abia state who was also the Chairman of the occasion thanked the United Nation for setting aside every 3rd April for celebration of Press Freedom in the past 30 years.
He said in any democratic setting, if the Press is not free so society is undemocratic and that freedom should be used responsibly and within the ambit of the law.
Victor Ndukwe, the Chairman of Abia NUJ his welcome noted that when information are processed and distilled into news, it helps society to move on and further cooperation to achieve set goals.
“When such actions involve corrupt practices, obtaining the information becomes a herculean task for journalist as he puts his life on the line to extra information for public consumption,” Ndukwe said.
He therefore, called on government, through its legal instruments, other germane freedoms to strive for evolution of an egalitarian society.
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