Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has expressed worry over the poor welfare packages of journalists and other media professional in Nigeria, saying they are the most dehumanised set of people in the country.
The governor, who stated this at the Government House in Bauchi last weekend while presenting two Toyota Hiace buses to the Government House Press Crew and the state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), lamented that media professionals are always at the receiving end suffering from the rigours, challenges of news gathering and sometimes, they don’t even have salaries and wages.
Mohammed, who described as unfortunate a situation whereby certain media houses continually owe their staffers across the country several months of unpaid salaries, said media professionals had been suffering in silence even though they put up a mirror for the society to see itself.
He stated that he was giving out the vehicles to show that journalism and media men have dignity, pointing out that they must be respected and encouraged to work in a manner to create an environment conducive for them.
While saying that to be above board, journalists and media professionals must be given respect in terms of their contribution to the society, he also canvassed an enhanced enabling environment and improved welfare packages for journalists nationwide.
According to Mohammed, “This is an opportunity for me to say thank you to my Creator for uplifting me to the position of a governor as a journalist and as a media man. I cannot do better than to identify with my first constituency.
“I’m using this opportunity to call on the media houses owners to please look at the problems and challenges of media professionals. This would make the profession noble so that journalists could have salaries, wages, allowances, transportation and other welfare packages.”
Mohammed, therefore, called on his colleagues, “the governors, the presidency and others to respect these people who are always there in the rain and sun asking questions and trying to make the society better by exposing bad governance and some of our limitations and inadequacies.”
In conclusion, the governor reiterated his pledge to renovate the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in the state before the expiration of his tenure.
