The FCT chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalist, NUJ, says it had concluded plans to fish out persons using the name of journalism to intimidate and extort money from Nigerians.
President of the chapter, Mr. Chuks Ehirim who stated this during the NUJ 2013 Newsweek dinner in Abuja, noted that it had become imperative for the union and security agencies to intervene and prevail on the authorities to stop the increasing impersonation of the profession by fake persons parading themselves as journalists in the country.
“It is therefore in this regard that the leadership of the FCT Council of our great nation recently rose in stout condemnation of the thriving of quacks and professional misfits in the practice of the noble profession.
“More than ever before, there is need for media practitioners to always imbibe that culture of maintaining the code of ethics of the profession.
“We must always avail ourselves of the opportunities for improvement through training and retraining as a way of sustaining the high standards that we are known for.
“We still wish to use opportunity to sand a note of warning to professional extortionists who are daily masquerading as journalists, to toe path of honour, by quitting before it becomes late,” he said.
He, however, appealed to government at all levels and public spirited Nigerians, especially media employers to show concern on the plight of journalists in the country.
