As debate continues to trail the recent pronouncement by the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the unbundling of Mass Communication as unit of study in Universities, Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ), one of the bodies affected by the development has opened up that it is in support of the unbundling as it will further enhance professionalism.
National President of the NUJ, Chris Isiguzo, made the comment last weekend while in Bauchi as he was reacting to trending report that the National University Commission (NUC) had abolished studying Mass Communication in Nigeria varsities.
Chris Isiguzo explained that the NUJ, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Nigerian Institute Public Relations (NIPR), Radio, Television, Theater and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) all jointly proposed the idea to NUC after considering the prefiltration of quacks and fake practitioners who have infiltrated and giving it a bad name.
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The NUJ President said: “We are in it. This is what is obtainable in developed climes, I think Nigeria is just trying to implement it. We have been saying that if anyone wants to study journalism, advertising, public relations, broadcast and other, it should be separate.”
The President who visited Bauchi State on a two-day interactive visit with his Executive members also said that the Union is working to ensure that all working Journalists were captured in the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS.
He added that the Union would not tolerate harassment of its members by the security agents saying, “We wrote a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the case of Omoyele Sowore, we wrote letter to Cross Rivers State Governor, Ben Ayade over the case of Agba Jalingo and we fought the release of Jones Abiri when he was picked up by operatives of Department of State Service (DSS).
He, however, advised practising Journalists in the country to be professional in the discharge of their function as well as avoid sensationalism and bias in their reportage of events but be fair and objective so that the Union will be able to defend them in the case of any problem.