By Kingsley Adegboye

FORMER Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, yesterday in Lagos, urged Nigerian journalists to remain fearless in the course of news reporting in spite of harassment and intimidation in the hands of security agents.

Osoba insisted that it was only by remaining undeterred that the primary objective of information dissemination by journalists to the people could be achieved.

The former governor, who spoke at the turning of the sod of Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, multi-million naira guest house in Shomolu, said journalists owed the public a duty to report the truth as professionals, irrespective of the odds.

Describing journalism as a respected and decent profession, Osoba argued that the only way to make sure it remained so was for journalists to allow professionalism to reflect in the reportage of issues as they unfolded regardless of whose ox was gored.

Osoba said Lagos was the centre and headquarters of journalism in the country.

In his remark, President, NUJ, Mallam Muhammad Garba decried the spate of harassment and assault of journalists by security agents and called on President Goodluck Jonathan to call the security agents to order.