Journalists in Nigeria have been enjoined to prioritize development Journalism in the course of their practice in order to liberate masses and the society from all sorts of oppressions intimidations.
This submission was given by Professor Omotoye Olorode, member, Secretariat Collective, The People’s Alternative Political Movement (TPAPM) .
He urgedJournalists on fearless and unbiased report devoid of influence from the power brokers.
Olorode who stressed that Journalism is the hope of the masses,tasked Nigerian Journalists to utilize the profession to liberate the people from the hands of the ruling class so that the masses can enjoy their rights with development Journalism in place.
The Professor spoke during the 2022 Annual Lecture and Award Presentation held by Federated Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, on Thursday, on the theme “Journalism, Security, Party Politics and Election Coverage: The Way forward”.
He said “We contemplate journalists as intellectuals—those who must search relentlessly for the truth and disseminate same without the fear of where it will lead
“Nigeria, today, is a class society; and some of us insist, while not denying the existence of other contradictions, that the primary contradiction is class. We also insist that the unending underdevelopment, inequality and generalized violence in Nigeria result from the ruling class ideology of private accumulation which benefits Nigeria’s less than one per cent”
He decried the excess attention by the Press, paid to the authority and power among the ruling class, adding that it makes the masses to vote for ‘their so-called desired Candidates’ who are in disguise, with the same ruling class commitments.
“What Journalists, their organizations and other categories of intellectuals have to do, is to avail the masses of the victims of the ruling class economic and social order, the totality of their talents and their unalloyed commitment.
In a remark, the Chairman, NUJ, Ekiti State Council, Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela, represented by the Secretary of the Council, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, commended the chapel for the programme.
He said the NUJ leadership was working hard to eradicate quackery in the State.
“Our union has continued to record tremendous successes beyond our expectations, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, training of journalists and ensuring a respectable profession by putting machinery in place to checkmate impostors or quacks that have infiltrated the profession with impunity”.
Chairman, Federated Chapel, Comrade Ayodele Abere, said the lecture/theme was put in place to right the wrongs affecting the profession and society for adequate solution.
The Chapel at the event gave an Award of Excellence to Alhaja Bose Adedibu, Meritorious Award to Elizade University, Ondo State and Award of the Best Media to Ajibola Aminat(Amiloaded) on the grounds of ‘Women participation in Politic, Southwest Nigeria’, ‘Teaching morals on academics’ and ‘Entrepreneurial personality.