Solomon2day

The journalism profession in Nigeria is under intense siege within and outside the circle of practitioners.Standards have been eroded and it is now an allcomers affair. Dr.Francis Amenaghwon who holds a Ph.D in communication, is a former staff member of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria(FRCN). Dr. Amenaghwon is presently a lecturer in the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan. He opines that sanity ought to be restored in the profession. Excerpt: For me,it is increasingly becoming difficult to define who a journalist is in Nigeria. In these days of citizen journalism,I-Reporter,online radio,online radio and television channels.The minimum standards of practice ought to be restored. Every profession has its own minimum requirements. When we have a meticulous registration of members,the problem will have been half solved. This is the way forward. Let's set minimum standards for media organizations and institutions correcting the worrisome situat...

The chairman of the Oyo state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Alhaji Ismail Ademola Babalola will be conferred with a chieftaincy title on Saturday 18 February, 2023 by the, Baale of Ologuneru, Ibadan, Oyo state Nigeria. According to the invitation to guests, the NUJ chairman will be conferred with the title,Agbaakin Baale of Ologuneru while his wife, Monsurat Ajoke will be conferred with the title Yeye Agbaakin Iyalosde of Ologuneru.The event which comes up at the Baale's palace in Ologuneru will be followed with the reception for invited guests at an event center in the conmmunity. Alhaji Babalola was returned unopposed for a second term of three years by journalists in the state. In another development, concerned journalists in the state have continued to express reservations over the practice of the profession in the state and the infiltration of the profession by criminal elements, stressing that a lot has to be done for the profession to return to the front...

The language used in the media in relation to people with disabilities, may be an indication of whether social change has or would occur. For example, media stories about graduates or students wit disabilities often focus on the sacrifices of family and caregivers, instead of the students and the challenges there faced getting an education. It is disheartening, therefore, that persons with disabilities are seldom covered in the media and when they are presented, they are typically damaging stereotyped and not properly epitomized. It is not uncommon to see persons with disabilities treated as objects of pity, charity or medical treatment that have overcome a tragic and disabling condition or conversely, presented as champions who have accomplished great feats, to inspire the non-disabled. The Editors, producers and programmers are influenced by their own thoughts of disability and what they trust will attract listeners. Equity and Equality challenges indeed! The media, therefor re e...

The Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) has called on the Federal Government to appoint the right people to the right places to ensure equality, justice and fairness. This call was made by the Chairman of the Oyo state council of their union, Comrade Ademola Babalola on Wednesday at the Star Development Initiative Media discussion with Journalists in Oyo state in commemoration of the International Day for People with Disabilities in Ibadan. ''Churches and Mosques must be accessible to persons living with disabilities, the NUJ is accessible to people living with disabilities. We should put round pegs in round holes. We in the NUJ are calling on the Federal Government to put the right people in the right places.'' Comrade Babalola was represented by the Vice chairman of the union, Comrade Seye Ojo. In her welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the initiative, Mrs. Grace Alezander disclosed that persons living without disabilities ought not to be pitied but treat...

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde has declared that Nigeria does not need its loan to give good health to the sickly economy. Rather, Lagarde recommended belt tightening measures to restore vibrancy and life to the economy. Lagarde also urges the Federal Government to be flexible in its foreign exchange policy. Indeed, the debt relief granted Nigeria by the Paris club during the tenure of former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, could be said to be the biggest debt write off for sub-Saharan Africa. $18 billion of debt written off. The Paris club agreed to write off Nigeria’s debt without an IMF economic programme. Of course, the country would not forget in a hurry, the harrowing experiences it had with the implementation of an IMF programme in the past, this is just as an idea of a national consensus for intensive reforms required to transform the ailing economy could not be woven around an IMF programme. The Nati...

During the reign of President Milosevic of Old Yugoslavia, independent journalists were labelled traitors and foreign spies. Several; journalists were killed, put in jail or convicted in the law court. That particular period of Old Yugoslavia’s history, a clique ruled the country. Milosevic ensured that Serbs became the biggest pariah of the international community. The President also ensured that Serbs were guilty of everything, even as 23 per cent of Serbs were sent packing from their homes. Monthly salaries did not exceed $3. Indeed, the Judicial system was not independent and not strong enough to ensure justice for the citizenry. This resulted in Milosevic’s trial for war crimes outside his country. Sadly, the international community did not have confidence in the local courts. Situations like this abound in several countries around the world, still grappling with the hydra like problems of dwindling economic fortunes and corruption. In this countries, the un...

The Kaduna state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), through its secretary, Rev. Sunday Ibrahim, had in August, 2015, called on the state Government to ensure  the prosecution of any public or civil servant found wanting ; in its quest to rid the state civil and public service of corrupt practices. According to Rev. Ibrahim, prosecuting corrupt officials is necessary to rid the state of those who enriched themselves at the expense of the government and people of Kaduna state. ”I believe that there are people that may not be working in this state and are still collecting money from the government coffers. Just like we have been hearing that one person is collecting the salaries of 10, 15 or 20 and above. People that are not working with the government but they are collecting salaries from the Kaduna state government, or people that are ghost workers but they collect money. We have heard cases whereby somebody died for a long time and then someon...

The percentage of Judges and Magisterates in Nigeria,who have the tendency to sacrifice their integrity and career on the altar of filthy lucre are increasing by the day. Most Nigerians, have a tale or the other to tell of their experiences in the courtrooms, good or bad, with the latter case occupying the majority position. Interim injunctions, rulings and delivered judgements from the court rooms in the country have always attracted comments,questions and debates among the people, who still view the Judiciary,as the last resort and only hope of the common man. However,the common man still finds it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the financial position of an individual determines what he comes out with from the court room. In 2004, Justice Stanley Nnaji of the Enugu state Judiciary was suspended from office by the National Judicial Council(NJC), for ordering the then  Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, to remove the then Anambra state Go...

Even though a sizable number of ”pressmen” as government officials always say, are on the payroll of the ruling party in Nigeria today, that does not distract professionally resolute Journalists from outlining the chamelionic nature of governance. Failure is a recurrent feature, when the people’s voices are ignored and the imposition of the desires of a few occupys the front page. Politicians have over the years groomed army of youths to promote their interests. Majority of these youths do not necessarily possess the basic qualification-Senior Secondary School Certificate(SSCE) to make any meaningful impact in life. To fill the vacuum, politicians console these category of youths with limitless supply of outlawed substances and alcohol, so long as the youths do their bidding. The unemployment rate in Nigeria is at an all time high, with unemployable graduates constituting  a significant number of the unemployed. Of worry is the fact that most Primary, Seco...

The socio-economic fortunes of Nigeria continues the downward slide, despite the present administration’s repeated assurances that it would take steps to plug all visible and invisible leakages. Truly, the bail out initiative of the Federal Government has gone a long way in enabling state governments to clear the backlog of salary arrears owed workers, however, governance has become epileptic in most states, as the states grapple with paucity of funds. In the private sector, companies are having a field day exploiting helpless workers, who have no alternative, but to cope with their employers’ slave labour tendencies. Some states have abolished free education, as infrastructure in schools deteriorate daily, with children increasingly developing dislike for education. Interestingly, concerned Nigerians are already promoting devaluation of the Naira, as a way to accommodate the economic reality of the present times. The Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) has ceaseless...