NUJ urges Buhari to save media industry from collapse

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and save the media industry from collapse.

Rising from its two-day National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Asaba weekend, the NUJ reminded President Buhari of the union’s appeal to the federal government for a bailout fund for the Nigerian media.

• Terrorism financing: Dozens arrested in nationwide crackdown
• 35 million Nigerians may abuse drugs by 2050 — Marwa

Addressing the state of the nation, the union flayed the continuous nonpayment of salaries of journalists by some media entrepreneurs and employers.

“In May last year, the NUJ wrote a letter to President Buhari appealing for a bailout fund for the media, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected the global economy,” it also recalled.

The NUJ NEC urged the federal government to rejig the security apparatus to enable it to effectively tackle debilitating challenges across the country.

The union condemned the unprovoked killing of Nigerian soldiers while on assignment to help restore peace in some warring communities in Benue State and called for proper investigation to fish out the culprits while suing for caution in the use of excessive force in this process to avoid any collateral damage.

The NUJ NEC further called on the federal government to accede to the clamour for state police to strengthen the security architecture and bolster the security system.