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By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and his Governor colleagues in the country to as a matter of urgency put in place measures that will ensure the protection of human dignity of working Journalists in the country.
The Governor further stressed that working Journalists deserve much more than what they are getting currently in terms of conducive working environment and remuneration.
Bala Mohammed who was speaking when he presented two brand new Toyota Hiace buses to members of the Government House Press Crew and Correspondents Chapel of the NUJ, expressed his worries over what he described as very poor welfare packages of Journalists and other media professional in Nigeria, saying “Journalists are the most dehumanized set of people in this country” .
The Governor further 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” .
He described as most unfortunate, a situation whereby certain media houses continually owe their staffers across the country several months of unpaid salaries, saying that media professionals have being suffering in silence even though they put up a mirror for the society to see itself.
According to him, “While we are sleeping, Journalists are out there telling the society about our activities, propagating us in good light even though at times, they expose our inadequacies. They need special attention from us. I am calling on the Presidency and my Governor colleagues to do something to make things better for the Journalists”.
The Governor explained that he gave 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”.
He stressed that, “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.”
Bala 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.”
The Governor then reiterated his pledge to renovate the Secretariat and Press Center of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) before the expiration of his tenure saying that, “I know that you need a befitting and well equipped office to operate” .
In his remarks, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado commended the Governor for the gesture saying that it is a morale booster to the beneficiaries.
He assured that Journalists in the state will remain committed to the performance of their professional duties in line with the ethics of the profession.
