The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has appealed to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State to sign the media enhancement bill into law without waisting more time.
It could be recalled that Adamawa state House of Assembly had earlier passed the bill into law in 2022.
The union made the appeal in a communique issued at the end of the quarterly National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the union held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
The communique issued at the end of the meeting was read to journalists by the NUJ President, Chris Iziguzo at the NUJ Oyo State Council Secretariat in Ibadan.
Iziguzo, in the communique, said that the bill when signed into law would help to improve the living and standard of living for journalists in the state.
NUJ President noted that the bill when passed into law would address some issues in journalism which include insurance, security, journalists welfare and others.
He maintained that the NEC also frown at the incessant arrest and detention of journalists by security operatives.
According to the NUJ President, “NEC deliberated on various issues and resolved as follows: Adamawa state House of Assembly has passed media enhancement bill. The media enhancement bill will protect the interest of journalists in the state. It looks at the retirement age for journalists, allowances in the state. We are appealing to the Adamawa state governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to sign the bill.
“We urged other states to follow suit. Why we are disastrous to ensure that this bill is signed into law?. It will help to ensure that journalists are protected. We are going to meet with the governor of the state to ensure that the bill is passed into law.
“NEC frown at incessant arrest and detention of journalists by security agencies. Arbitrary arrest and detention of journalists will not help our democracy to grow”.
Other things resolved at the meeting are that, “NEC appreciates the Executive Governor of Oyo State Engr.Seyi Makinde, FNSE for hosting the NEC meeting successfully, while commending him for his people oriented policies and programs, NEC in session urges him to sustain the tempo of development.
“NEC cautions Politicians to refrain from attacking Journalists on essential duties during the upcoming Governorship elections in Ondo and Edo States respectively. NEC equally frowns at the incessant and arbitrary arrests and detention of Journalists in the line of duty by security personnel and
urges that such uncouth actions be stopped forthwith.
“NEC frowns at the lingering insecurity across the nation, especially kidnapping and violent crimes in the South East, Insurgency in the North East, Banditry in North West and rising militancy in the South South as well kidnapping in the South West and cattle rustling and attack on farmlands in the North Central by herders. NEC calls on the heads of the nation’s security apparatus to rise to the occasion and address the situation.
“NEC expresses dismay at the increasing cost of living conditions particularly the prices of essential commodities which is becoming unbearable to Nigerians and called on the Federal Government to come up with immediate measures to ameliorate the sufferings being faced by Nigerians. On this, NEC expressed concerns at the delay in production at the Dangote Refinery which would have eased the present economic hardship in the country .
“NEC frowns at the incessant vandalization of power installations supplying electricity to some States of the North East and other parts of the country, and therefore calls on the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ministry of Power to immediately restore electricity supply to the affected States.
“NEC calls on Federal and State Governments to urgently intervene on the poor state of roads in the country and further calls on the Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to urgently proffer measures to ease the sufferings of motorists. NEC seeks an urgent consideration from the Federal Government to include the South East among the zones captured in the coastal highway project as no zone along the coastal line should be sidelined in the project.
“NEC requests communities in the flood prone zones to adhere strictly to the early warnings by NIMET and Federal Ministry of Environment to avoid regrets occasioned by flood disaster. NEC equally calls on the government to address the perennial flooding affecting most parts of the Country.
“NEC appeals to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolve the issues of the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. NEC also appeals to the Federal Government to address and resolve pending issues with ASUU in the interest of education and Nigerian students. NEC also resolves to appeal to heads of security agencies to support orphans and widows of deceased security personnel that paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of their duties.
“NEC urges the Federal Government to take urgent steps to regulate the activities of illegal mining in the country to avert further disasters”.
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