* Ajakaiye
Journalists in Nigerian bowed in shame Tuesday as a top civil servant  in the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA Mr. Babatope Ajakaiye took swipes at the profession, and the Nigeria Union Journalism, NUJ firmly kept its lips sealed.



 Ajakaiye, a Permanent Secretary in the FCTA speaking at the 2016 Press Week of the FCTA Chapel of the NUJ dismissed journalists as belonging to a "beggarly profession". He thumbed his chest for not identifying with the profession throughout his illustrious career as an Information Officer.

 "I am not proud to be a journalist. I want you to de-emphasise 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" he said.

 He further added: "I want to see the NUJ closing down the newspaper houses that are not paying salaries. I want to see the NUJ telling publishers who 
emphasis on award to make money, that , this is not the practice of the profession"

 Earlier in his opening remarks, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Bello tasked journalists to be change agents of the society, just as he called for synergy between government and the media.

 According to him, “your important role as change agent cannot be over-emphasized. For instance, it is through strong 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 forums 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”.

 As the remarks of Ajakaiye went viral on the social media, he was reported to have begun contacting officials of the NUJ begging for the story to be substituted with a watered down version of his earlier speech.

 Ajakaiye, in the statement signed by Muhammed Sule, Chief Press Secretary to the Minister of the FCTA,  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"

 Theledgerng.com gathered that the embattled civil servants in private admitted making the statement but begged the NUJ officials who he assumes could influence the censoring of the story to kill the story on his behalf.

 Officials of the Union who were contacted over the story refused to comment explaining that the man had issued a statement to clarify the situation. As a matter of fact the National Secretary of the NUJ, Leman Shu'aibu was sharing the statement on his facebook wall.

 However an online newspaper, gongnews.net reports that there are demands rising  to "deafening sound that President Muhammadu Buhari should sack with immediate effect his Permanent Secretary for the FCTA, Dr Babatope Ajakaiye who not only chastised him for taking award from a beggarly profession but violently assaulting the Fourth Estate of the Realm in very unprintable language.

 gongnews,net reports: "One string that ran through the very angry comments is for President Buhari to sack the loquacious and loud-mouthed Permanent Secretary for the lack of respect for journalists.

 "Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), a body based in Paris, France said, “the Nigerian President should sack the man for enjoying the privileges of the profession to reach the height he is and turn around to assault the profession. Given that he is a Nigerian high government official, that comment may have been deliberately planted.

 "The statement signed by Sammi Lami, the Executive Secretary (African and Middle East) added, “we demand his sack with immediate effect. He is a very bad product. We urge journalists practicing in Abuja to consistently call for his sack until he is eased out. He is a disgrace to public governance system.”

 "Jamiu Salami on his Facebook reaction to the statement said, “people like this will return to blame the journalists for misquoting him and will try to amend what he had said. He should be magnanimous to resign. If he does not resign, he should be asked to go home.”