Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has called on journalists and legal practitioners to cleanse their professions of unethical practices.
He expressed concern that investigative journalism is fading due to the “brown envelope” syndrome.
Ewhrudjakpo made the remarks while receiving the state leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at Government House, Yenagoa.
“Investigative journalism appears to have almost waned and disappeared,” he said. “We hardly see the brand of journalism for which Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Dele Giwa, Ernest Ikoli, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and others were celebrated. So we need to do a lot of house cleaning.”
He also criticized the legal profession, alleging that corruption has eroded ethical standards.
“The level of quackery and an โanything-goesโ attitude is very high in journalism and the legal profession,” he argued. “No thanks to the brown envelope you people collect; and no thanks also to the night movements of lawyers.”
The deputy governor lamented that both professions have been infiltrated by unethical practitioners, undermining their credibility.
He however praised journalists for their work in Bayelsa and urged them to uphold professional standards. He assured the NUJ of the state governmentโs support for its proposed Media Summit.
On behalf of the government, he congratulated the new NUJ executive and encouraged them to learn from their election experience.
Speaking earlier, NUJ Bayelsa State Chairman, Comrade Tonye Yemoleigha, lauded the state governmentโs progress in infrastructure and human capital development.
He urged the government to support the NUJ Media Summit, which he said would redefine Bayelsaโs image.
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