The Vice-Chancellor of the Abia State University, Professor Onyemachi M.Ogbulu, has tasked journalists on the need for thorough investigation of their stories before going to press, as a way of enthroning professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Professor Ogbulu, who gave the charge when the executives of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abia State Council paid him a courtesy visit, congratulated the new Comrade Victor Ndukwe-led executive on their successful election, and urged them to exercise restraint in the rush to publish negative stories about government, institutions, organizations and individuals to sell their papers or promote their blogs without ascertaining the authenticity of the stories.

Citing a recent kidnapping incident in Okigwe axis, where a student of ABSU was a victim, but subsequently released through prompt intervention of the Governing Authorities, he lamented the inaccurate and divergent reports of the incident by different newspapers, without proper investigation, and reminded them that journalists, especially NUJ, Abia Council are veritable partners in progress, and should also deploy the same energy to report the ever increasing positive development in the university.

The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the university will continue to maintain cordial relationship with NUJ, especially in training and retraining its members for better efficiency, and revealed that the Mass Communication Department of the university has now been unbundled to various specialized programs that will be of great interest to them.

He used the forum to call on parents to stop forcing their children to seek admission only in medicine, law, nursing, pharmacy, and other over subscribed Professional courses, but allow them chose courses of their interest with comparative advantage of gaining admission, as well as where they can properly develop their God’s given potential.

Speaking earlier, the Chairman, NUJ, Comrade Victor Ndukwe, congratulated Ogbulu on his appointment as the 8th substantive Vice Chancellor of the University, and urged him to sustain the standard of academic excellence the University is known for over the years.

He expressed the desire of NUJ to partner the University in the training and retraining of journalists, and work with the administration to promote its activities.

In a vote of thanks, the National Ex-official member representing South East, Ezeogo Bonny Okoro, expressed optimism that the visit will further solidify the relationship between journalists and the University, and thanked the Vice Chancellor and his management for the warm reception.

In another development, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has selected the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike as one of the institutions where the Integrity Club, one of it’s youth-centred programmes, would be established.

The Abia State Director of the agency, Dr. Lady Ngozi Okechukwu, made this known on Friday, during a visit to the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe.

The Director, who was accompanied on the visit by some top officials of the agency, stated that the Integrity Club was established in line with the National Ethics and Integrity Policy of the Federal Government, which aims to upscale compliance with national ethics and observance of integrity among Nigerians.

According to Dr. Okechukwu, the Integrity Club will help teach the Nigerian youths the virtues of national ethics and enlist them as vanguards of anti-corruption.

Speaking further, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okechukwu, noted that the agency has kick-started a Campus Focus programme, which would tackle the myriads of vices existing in tertiary institutions in the country. According to the State Director, the Youth Bulge in Nigeria is a time bomb waiting to explode, a situation which underscores the need for the different approaches adopted by the Federal Government to steer the youths to the path of productivity and national development.

Responding, the Vice-Chancellor thanked the visitors for coming, describing the efforts of the National Orientation Agency as crucial in addressing the social vices that have bedeviled the country presently.

The VC stated that the youth-centred initiatives are vital due to the Nigerian youth’s status as a resourceful segment of the country’s population, assuring the agency that it would get all the support it needs to facilitate it’s programmes in the University.