The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT), Babatope Ajakaiye has vowed to distance himself from journalists whom he described as ‘beggars, but his minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello disagreed saying that Journalists are change agents of the government.
The occasion where the two officers of the same ministry expressed these divergent views was the opening ceremony today, Tuesday, of the 2016 Press Week of Federal Capital Territory Chapel of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary stressed that he has no regret not to identify with the journalism profession throughout his career as information officer, and warned information officers in the Administration to distance themselves too from journalists if they are preparing for leadership positions.
Ajakaiye also took newspaper publishers to the cleaner, accusing them of giving flimsy awards to politicians as a means of survival.
While calling on the Union to close down media organizations that failed to pay journalists, Ajakaiye said: “I am not proud to be a journalist. I want you to de-emphasis your membership of the NUJ which is just optional. They are beggars. You are first, civil servants and information officers, and you must prepare for leadership. I look forward to the time NUJ will fight newspaper houses that do not pay salaries.
“Why do we have journalists that are not paid? Why do we have journalists that would have to be begging when they come for an assignment, why is it so? I have no answers. I want information officers to find these answers and tell our colleagues, instead of fighting other members of the society.
“I want to see the NUJ closing down the newspaper houses that are not paying. I want to see the NUJ telling publishers who emphasis on awards to make money, that, this is not the practice of the profession,” Ajakaiye said.
This was even as the minister tasked journalists to be change agents of the society, calling for synergy between government and the media.
Muhammad Bello said: “your important role as change agent cannot be over-emphasized. For instance, it is through strong and virile media advocacy that the motorist will not jump traffic, the commuter or passerby will not litter the environment, the shop owner will not sweep and dump in the gutter in his frontage or a vandal will not decide to steal cables on railway tracks, street lights or even open up manhole to expose all of us to danger.
“I am sure that through forum like this, we will be able to achieve greater synergy in tackling most of the challenges of governance by devising ways of opening the minds of our people to turn a new leaf in the ways of doing things.”
Realising the damage which his statement had done, the Permanent Secretary, later in the day, refuted the report of his calling journalists beggars, describing journalism as a noble profession.
A statement by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary in the FCTA, Muhammad Hazat Sule, quoted Ajakaiye as saying that he respects the journalism profession.
The Permanent Secretary was quoted as saying that it was journalists that fought for the independence of Nigeria and for the entrenchment of democracy and that the country’s frontline nationalists were mostly journalists.
The statement said that what Ajakaiye said was that some media proprietors toil with the remunerations of journalists in their employ and regretted that the non-payment of salaries was turning the honorable profession into a career being seen as beggarly.
“The Permanent Secretary therefore enjoined the media proprietors to de-emphasize giving of awards and start taking the welfare of journalists more seriously.
“He also urged Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to engage proprietors of media houses in constructive discussions that would bring an end to the delay or non-payment of journalists’ remunerations.
“Dr. Ajakaiye wondered why he could have spited the profession to which he proudly belongs; reiterating his deepest regards for the profession. According to him, as an Information Officer for 32 years he never had any problem with journalists and worked harmoniously with all he encountered in the course of his career.” [myad]
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