NUJ tasks FG on journalists’ safety, cost of living, insecurity, others

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the federal government to ensure the safety of journalists in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Ondo and Edo states.

NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo, made the appeal in a state-of-the-nation address during the NUJ National Executive Convention (NEC), which ended in Ibadan on Sunday.

The union implored security agencies and politicians to allow journalists carry out their constitutional duties without fear during the upcoming elections in the two aforementioned states.

It condemned the frequent and arbitrary arrests and detention of journalists by security agencies, stressing that the media remained a critical stakeholder, and incarceration could not aid democracy.

It also appealed for the improvement, and restoration where applicable, of electricity supply across the country.

This was as it frowned at the frequent vandalism of power installations supplying electricity to some northeastern states and other parts of the country, urging the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Ministry of Power to immediately restore power to the affected states.

The union revealed that it received reports about outages of electricity in some parts of Ibadan and Adamawa State for three months, and that life had become unbearable for residents in those areas.

Weighing in on the challenge of illegal mining activities in the country, NUJ demanded for an urgent regulation of illegal mining in Zamfara State and across the country to avert further disasters.

On the issue of flooding, the NUJ asked the communities in flood prone zones to adhere strictly to the early warnings by the 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. The impact of flooding is always better imagined; the experience of incidences in Bayelsa, Kogi, Adamawa and some other states are still fresh. Something must be done and urgently too,” Mr Isiguzo said.

The NUJ also called on the federal government to address insurgency in the North-east, banditry in the North-west, rising militancy in the South-South, as well as kidnapping and ritual killings in the South-west.

According to him, “We understand the primary strategic responsibility of a responsible government. The issue of protecting citizens’ lives and property, as well as improving citizens’ welfare is extremely sensitive. And if the people are now terrified, you can only imagine how bad things have gotten.”

The NUJ also expressed dismay at the rising cost of living, particularly the prices of essential commodities, which have become unbearable for Nigerians, and urged the federal government to take immediate action to alleviate the sufferings of citizens.

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It conveyed its concerns about the Dangote Refinery’s production delay, which could have lessened the nation’s current economic hardship.

“You would concur with me that a major portion of the hardship we are going through was caused by the federal government eliminating subsidies. It is a challenge; so if you are a farmer in a particular community or even just want to transport your goods, you will have to spend a lot more money than you would even on your farm to be able to do so. For this reason, we believe that the government needs to act quickly to ensure that this situation is addressed before it gets out of control,” Mr Isiguzo said.

The Union also appealed to the Governor of Adamawa State, Umaru Fintiri, to, without further delay, sign the Media Enhancement Bill into law, saying that the bill would go a long way in enhancing the operations of the media in the state.