By Anietie Akpan
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has decried the current cost of living and spate of insecurity in the country.
Accordingly, the Union at the end of its Quarterly National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on June 21, 2024 at Ibadan, Oyo State and presided over by its National President, Dr Chris Isiguzo, MFR; urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to ameliorate the situation.
The Union in its 18 point communique issued at the end of the meeting and endorsed by the Chairman , NUJ Akwa Ibom State Council and Chairman, Communique Drafting Committee (CDC), Comrade Amos Etuk, NUJ National Secretary, Comrade, Achike Chude and three others, expressed dismay at the increasing cost of living conditions, particularly the prices of essential commodities which is becoming unbearable to Nigerians.
It called on the Federal Government “to come up with immediate measures to ameliorate the sufferings being faced by Nigerians”.
The NUJ expressed concern at the delay in expected production output at the Dangote Refinery, saying that would have eased the present economic hardship in the country occasioned by high energy prices and the pressure on the exchange rate.
On security, the NEC of the NUJ frowned 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 as kidnapping in the South West and cattle rustling and attack on farmlands in the North Central by herders.
It called on the heads of the nation’s security apparatuses “to rise to the occasion and address the situation”.
Still on security, the NUJ cautioned politicians “to refrain from attacking journalists on essential duties during the upcoming governorship elections in Ondo and Edo States, respectively”.
Frowned at the incessant and arbitrary arrests and detention of journalists in the line of duty by security personnel and urged that “such undemocratic actions be stopped forthwith”.
The Union took a swipe on the Federal and State Governments on poor state of roads in the country and implored them “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”.
It also sought for an urgent consideration from the Federal Government to include the Southeast among the zones captured in the coastal highway project as no zone along the coastal line should be side-lined in the project.
On flooding, the Union requested 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 and called on the government to address the perennial flooding affecting most parts of the country.
Frowned at the incessant vandalization of power installations supplying electricity to some States of the North East and other parts of the country, and therefore called on the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ministry of Power to immediately restore electricity supply to the affected States.
Other issues captured by the communique include, an appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolve the issue of the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
An appeal to the federal government to address and resolve pending issues with ASUU in the interest of education and Nigerian students.
That heads of security agencies to support orphans and widows of deceased security personnel that paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of their duties.
And the Federal Government to take urgent steps to regulate the activities of illegal mining in the country to avert further disasters.
While appreciating the Governor of Oyo State Engr. Seyi Makinde for hosting the NEC meeting successfully and the governments of Edo and Imo States for donating buses to the State Councils, the Governors of Ogun and Akwa Ibom States for appointing a member of the Union as Head Of Service and two members of the Union as Permanent Secretaries, respectively, it however urged Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, “to sign into Law, the Media Bill passed by the Adamawa State House of Assembly”.
Looking inward, the NEC mandated the National Secretariat of the Union “to overhaul and reorganize the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ, by instituting a new Governing Council for optimal performance.
“That State Councils must be in good financial standing in line with the Constitutional provisions of the Union at all material times”.
