A group, the Fourth-Estate Professional Society (FPS), has expressed its commitment to improving welfare of journalists in Nigeria, as well as to the protection of journalism as a profession.
The President of FPS, Dr Salami Babatunde, made the promise in Ilorin on Monday, when officials of the group visited his office in Ilorin.
Babatunde said FPS’ main objective was to contribute to the growth of journalism in the country and had not come to compete with its sister union, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He lamented the low standard of Journalism practice in Nigeria, adding that FPS would do everything to ensure the profession was given the place it deserved.
“The standard is very low here in Nigeria, we need to improve because we cannot remain stagnant.
“Journalists deserve training; they deserve international conferences and seminars to upgrade.
“The profession is gradually becoming an all comers’ profession where anybody can practice without recourse to professional code of ethics,” he said.
Babatunde, a former Information Officer, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, U.S., also explained that FPS advocated for free insurance coverage for all journalists in Nigeria.
The former Editor of National Daily newspaper, also added that journalists deserved International Press Card which would give them the opportunity to operate anywhere in the world.
He added that FPS was established to eliminate fake news, as well as quack journalists from misleading the public.
Babatunde also said the FPS, which started in Ilorin, Kwara State, was registered as a professional body by the Corporate Affairs commission (CAC), under the Companies and Allied Matters Act1, 1990.
The FPS president added that the mother association, the Professional Journalist Association in U.S. was in full support of the Nigeria chapter.
He also added that being a member of NUJ does not give eligible access to be member of FPS.
The National Secretary of FPS, Mr Michael Olarewaju said the society attempted to adopt the name of the mother association in the U.S., but was denied registration by the CAC.
According to Olarewaju, the ultimate goal of FPS is to chart the professionalism of journalism in the country just like accounting, banking, engineering and surveying.
He added that FPS had signed an agreement with the University of Ibadan to moderate the professional examinations of the body.
“With the registration of FPS at the CAC, our next target is to have a chartered institute of Journalists to regulate and admit members,” he said.
Olarewaju added that there were four categories of membership of the FPS which were Fellow, for journalists with 15 years and above working experience, full membership for journalists with five to 15 years.
He gave other categories as Licentiate membership for journalists with less than five years experience while students of Mass Communication in tertiary institutions could also be admitted as members.
Mr Biodun Esan commended the effort of FPS executives for the visit and promised to work with them to improve journalism in Nigeria.
Esan said that journalism was gradually losing its status as a profession adding that it required urgent attention and rebuilding.
He said reviving the profession was everybody’s responsibility and not that of NUJ or FPS alone.