Former Chairman, Kaduna State Council of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Sani Shuaibu Malumfashi, has lamented the persistence of quacks in the journalism profession, saying that the NUJ apex body and state councils must stop the menace.

Speaking to newsmen in Kaduna on Wednesday, Malumfashi said: “Today you will see somebody who is an engineer or carpenter by profession find himself in journalism because there is no job. How will he cover, how will he balance the whole job?”

He added: “You see somebody who has not even obtained the minimum qualification in journalism profession but he will go parading himself as journalist. Things must be done right in order to save the profession from embarrassment.”

Malumfashi urged the National body of NUJ and the State Councils of the union to address the problem in order to save the good image of the profession in particular and the union as a whole.

While comparing the practice during in the earlier ’80s and today’s practice, Malunfashi stated that “in today’s practice, some journalists rely on handouts, speeches, but in the ideal thing, you go behind the news.”

He suggested that there is need for media organisations to train and retrain their journalists, though this may not be easy.

He said: “I have been practising journalism in the last 37 years or thereabout. Journalism practice in the early 60’s to 70’s or let’s say in the early 80’s was very interesting because each media operated according to their editorial policies, and you find out that in those days, we tried as much as possible to balance our stories.

“We also had a kind of in-house training for new journalists who came into the profession, so you help to groom them to become good journalists.”

•Photo shows NUJ President Waheed Odusile.