NUJ Urges South-West Governors to Pay Workers Salary, Pension from Paris Club Loan Refund

By Oluniyi Akintunde, Akure

The Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ) has called on the South-West Governors to use the second tranche of the Paris Club loan refund to pay their workers salary arrears and pensioners entitlement.

The union said it was worried on the high rate at which government and private media workers were being owed salaries, calling on the government, publishers and other owners of media organizations to prioritise their workers salary.

NUJ also called on the media owners in Nigeria to devise better strategies at improving the welfare of media practitioners to justify their commitments to duties in other to move their respective companies forward.

The union made the call just as it condemned the recent delay in the confirmation of 26 Residents Electoral Commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Senate as a result of power play between the Executive and the National Assembly.

In a communique jointly issued by the union at the end of its B-Zone meeting at the weekend in Akure, Ondo state capital, NUJ frowned the way and manner the confirmation is being delayed, describing is as unpatriotic and uncivilized.

The journalists group called on the national assembly and other concerned stakeholder to do needful in the interest of Nigeria.

The communiqué was endorsed by the Zonal Secretary, Mr. Lawal Afolabi, the Chairman of the drafting committee, Mr. Abiodun Olalere, Mrs. Bola Ogunlayi and Mr. Leke Adegbite.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) was commended by the union for his visit to the Southwest for inspection of federal government projects.

The NUJ charged the federal government to improve on power supply and address the deplorable condition of roads in the region in other to enhance economic development in Nigeria.

The NUJ B-Zone however expressed their satisfaction with the steady appreciation of naira against dollars, appealing to the Central Bank of Nigeria and the federal government to evolve more policies that would make the naira stronger and move the country out of economic recession.