Akunyili Supports A Living Wage For Nigerian Journalists

PHOTO: PROFESSOR DORA AKUNYILI.

San Francisco, April 26, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili has re-stated her commitment to ensuring that Nigerian journalists earn a living wage.

According to her, “nobody is doing a journalist a favour by paying him his due.”

A statement from her office said she spoke during the presentation of the report of the Committee on Special Salary for Media and Cultural Workers in federal ministries. The report was presented to Prof. Akunyili in her office in Abuja today.

The Minister set up the committee in February this year to recommend modalities for the review of salaries of media and cultural workers in the federal government. The committee was chaired by Abubakar Jijiwar, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria.

Prof. Akunyili lamented the challenging environment that Nigerian journalist are forced to operate in. “That was why I set up the committee to help ameliorate the pains Nigerian journalists face,” she said, further explaining that the problem also persists in the private sector.

Earlier in his address, the Minister of State of Information and communications, Hon. Labaran Maku, emphasized the need to critically look into the welfare of the media workers having been opportune to chair a committee on the welfare of journalists in 1992.

Maku promised to support Prof. Akunyili to ensure that the welfare of the journalists are improved.

The Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa, who is also the Chairman of the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), commended the Minister for being sensitive to the yearnings of the Nigerian Journalists.

Alhaji Jijiwa appealed to media owners in the private sector to ensure that salaries of their workers are paid as on time.