Uphold Journalism Ethics - Prof. Okojie Charges Reporters

The Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON, has charged members of the press to uphold the ethics of journalism in their reportage, in order to earn and sustain the confidence of the public. He gave the charge during a capacity building workshop and Monthly Press Luncheon, organised by the Commission for members of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria (ECAN), FCT Chapter, at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, on Thursday, 20 August, 2015. He said that objectivity was a necessary ingredient in any reportage as “it guides the reporter against bias”, adding that good reportage would enable the journalists to rise to the pinnacle of their profession. He stated that as members of the fourth estate of the realm, a lot was expected of them. Professor Okojie stated that the training was a way of building the capacity of the education correspondents for optimum productivity and also acquainting them with the activities of the Nigerian University System (NUS). He added that the Commission was always willing to interact with the press, both at the formal and informal fora so as to provide the public with useful information on the activities of the NUS. He decried the activities of “fake journalist who go about harassing members of the public with the motive of extorting money”. He advised the press men to always strife to be the best in their profession, charging them to endeavour to visit Nigerian universities for first-hand assessment.

Professor Julius A. Okojie, OON
Executive Secretary, NUC

The Executive Secretary stated that Nigerian universities were doing well as evidenced by their performance, which led to the selection of 10 out of the 19 African Centres of Excellence, from West and Central African Countries. He observed that most African universities paraded Nigerian professors among their best academics, adding that Nigerian graduates were also globally competitive, as witnessed by the performance of some scholars of the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) who were studying in top 20 universities in the world. He maintained that the university system was the only system that was not corrupted until the “gown went and fused with the town”. Professor Okojie informed the journalists that the Commission was not bothered about global ranking of Nigerian universities for now, due to the fact that the parameters used were peculiar to their environment, adding that the internet bandwidth which provided adequate visibility on the internet had been a major challenge in the NUS. He stated that Mr. ‘Bayo Atoyebi Guest Lecturer although the Commission had been trying to address the challenge by introducing the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN), its subscription was yet to be renewed. He regretted that since the 3-billion naira research grant was provided, not much of it had been accessed by scholars. Professor Okojie reiterated the fact that illegal university operators were finding it very difficult to operate as the environment had become very unconducive for them, due to various mechanisms that the Commission had in place. He disclosed that the Commission had been clamping down and prosecuting illegal university operators in order to sanitise the NUS. He also said that the Commission was trying to partner with other African countries to clamp down on illegal universities. Responding to questions, Professor Okojie said that the recent presentation of operational licences to nine private universities was a way of ensuring that they operated within the laid-down guidelines, adding that the Commission was willing to revisit those yet to be given full licenses. He stated that some of the criteria for the granting of operational licenses included academic stability, constitution of a University Governing Council, among others.

Professor Chiedu Mafiana
NUC Deputy Executive Secretary I