The National President,
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ),
Comrade Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi.
Sir,
It is no longer news under your leadership that journalists across Nigeria have had cause to breathe a sigh of relief. Your vision, coupled with visible commitment to the welfare of working journalists, has remained inspiring. Even as you intensify efforts to secure a Health Insurance Scheme, improve remuneration, and deliver other essential benefits, your progress is highly commendable—and, indeed, it appears the first of its kind in this manner since the inception of NUJ in Nigeria.
I also wish to commend the modest achievements recorded by your state counterpart, Mr. Faruk Muazu (Gombe). His efforts reflect the same spirit of purposeful leadership and service to the profession.
However, while applauding these strides, I write with humility to appeal to you, your National Executive Council, and the NUJ to intensify efforts toward an issue that is equally urgent to the survival and dignity of the profession: sanitizing the journalism architecture in Nigeria.
As a researcher, I have observed with deep sense of urgency that the profession is increasingly threatened by the activities of quacks—persons who present themselves as journalists without the necessary training, ethical grounding, or professional competence. This trend crosses tribe, gender, religion, and political or organizational affiliations. The consequences are grave: the public is exposed to fake news, misinformation, and “brown envelope” journalism, often without any meaningful adherence to ethics.
My concern is not borne from mere assumption. It is informed by research and visible successes recorded in other professions—such as **Engineering, Law, Medicine, Aviation, Architecture, and Laboratory Science**, among other recognized disciplines. Those professions have grown because they are anchored on the principle of being a “**square peg in a square hole**,” where competence, training, and certification are prerequisites to practice.
Journalism must be treated with the same seriousness. Unlike those professions, our field is presently too porous, such that even a **primary school certificate holder** or an **I.T student** can parade himself or herself as a journalist. While talent and interest are important, the absence of professional training and ethical discipline has weakened public trust in the media and placed the profession on a slippery slope of disrepute—leading to sensationalism, poor reportage, and erosion of credibility.
I respectfully suggest that Comrade, you and the NUJ Council can address this by taking practical steps with the cooperation of relevant media stakeholders. For instance:
1. **Professionalization standards:** NUJ should set and enforce a clear minimum professional benchmark for anyone practicing journalism in sensitive media roles.
2. **Employment discipline:** NUJ should discourage or not recognize media organizations that employ unqualified persons into roles that require professional competence and ethical responsibility.
3. **Ethics and certification requirement:** A practicing journalist/media adviser/aide should possess a **diploma, B.Sc, M.Sc, Ph.D, or its equivalent** from a **recognized and certified journalism program** (or an accredited equivalent qualification).
4. **Professional boundaries:** As observed in other professions, journalism must also observe boundaries where ethics and expertise matter. For example:
– **No journalist/quack should be allowed to function in specialized medical facilities** (or offer medical claims) without proper medical qualification.
– **No journalist/quack should be allowed to handle construction/engineering claims** without relevant professional training and certification.
These examples emphasize that expertise matters, and journalism—because it influences public perception—must not be treated casually.
Sir, it will greatly strengthen NUJ and deepen public confidence if journalism, as the **Fourth Estate of the Realm**, is fully professionalized in practice—not only in name.
Therefore, I humbly appeal that you and your council members **walk the talk**: continue the good work already underway, and also take decisive, enforceable steps to sanitize the profession by raising competence and ethics above noise and sentiment.
Once again, congratulations on your commendable achievements. I pray that your leadership continues to grow the union and restore dignity to the profession through disciplined standards, improved welfare, and credible journalism for the benefit of the Nigerian public.
Yours sincerely,
Ibrahim Tal
Former Reporter, Amana Radio Gombe
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