The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has joined other Nigerians to congratulate AbdulWaheed Odusile of the Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists who on Friday night emerged as the President of the union.
Aregbesola asked Odusile to strive to set new standards that are capable of giving journalists greater dignity in the discharge of their assignments.
In a statement congratulating Odusile by the Director of Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola urged Odusile to ensure the promotion of the sanctity of fairness and truth in journalism as a major agenda of his tenure.
The governor charged the new NUJ president not to be found wanting in his responsibility, reminding him of the sacred duties of the journalism as the mirror of the society.
Aregbesola admonished Odusile to ensure adequate professional conduct among journalists, saying with the new leadership of NUJ on board, professionalism must be the hallmark of every member as Nigeria enters in to the era of change that people yearned for.
The governor charged the new NUJ boss to see to the training and re-training of journalists for them to be able to discharge their constitutional duties without fear or favour.
He expressed the optimism that Odusile would add value to the profession, urging him to ensure the promotion of developmental journalism in the country.
According to him: “Odusile no doubt, has huge task before him. And this is to ensure that he struggles to ensure that journalists discharge their duties with all the fairness, truth and sense of responsibility required in a just society. Inducements, political bias, personal emotions and interests must not be allowed to becloud true professional conducts. When these are achieved, Nigerian journalists would be seen as true professionals that nobody can use for selfish political agenda.
“Under his leadership, the profession must enjoy the respect and dignity it deserves. Reports by journalists must be seen as one with depth, fair, balance, truth.”
The governor commended the NUJ for the peaceful and democratic way its new leaders have emerged, saying that all hands must be on deck at ensuring the survival of democracy in the country.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
