A call has been made for a review of existing regulatory provisions to make a commitment to the welfare of journalists by employers enforceable.
The call was made in a communique issued at the end of a stakeholders forum on Journalists safety and press freedom limitations in Nigeria organized by the International Press Centre.
Participants at the forum had observed among others that the welfare of journalists in Nigeria has degenerated over the decades and has worsened in recent years without concrete efforts at remedying the situation.
They also noted that journalists have not demonstrated sufficient interest in highlighting and reporting issues that directly affect their welfare and safety individually and collectively.
According to the participants, there are huge gaps in the provisions for and enforcement of regulations for the protection of rights of journalists and to guarantee their welfare.
Consequently, the communique stated that there should be a reappraisal of the roles of media professional bodies and associations to make them more relevant to modern-day realities of the journalism profession and interested in promoting a conducive environment in which journalists perform their duties.
Other recommendations by the participants are as follows:
There should be improved advocacy and campaigns for the welfare and safety of journalists by stakeholders in civil society.
There should be special attention to and provision of protective measures for women in the journalism profession; particularly as it relates to the peculiarity of assignments.
Skill acquisition and capacity development should be prioritised by media establishments as part of the welfare package for journalists.
There should be greater networking with media professionals in the academic, public service and at the level of governance as a way of mobilizing sustained interest in advocacies on improved welfare and safety of journalists.
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. Journalists and other media professionals practicing and publishing online must openly declare a commitment to the upholding of the ethical and professional standards of journalism as spelt out in codes of ethics/conduct while also taking necessary protection and safety measures.
- There should be sustained engagement with security agencies to push concerns relating to abuses against journalists to the front burner of ongoing clamour for reforms.
- There should be sustained commitment to early warning alerts and helplines on the safety of journalists as being piloted by IPC in Nigeria.
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A special endowment fund to be managed by credible foundations should be established to respond to the compelling needs of journalists in jeopardy as a result of abuses, poor welfare, and neglect.
- There should be media engagement and involvement in the constitutional amendment processes to ensure that there is constitutional provision for media independence, press freedom and the welfare rights of journalists as a way of ensuring better protection for journalists and promoting their safety; and
- Media support groups like IPC should continue to prioritise capacity building on good journalism and safety consciousness.
The forum held on December 9 was in continuation of IPC’s commitment to deepening engagement and consultations with media and relevant stakeholders on approaches for guaranteeing safety and improved welfare of Nigerian Journalists.
Supported by the Open Society Foundations (OSF), the programme attended by journalists from the print, broadcast, online media, media professional bodies, media related groups, media professionals from the academia as well as the civil society.
They included the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Vice President, Zone E, Mr. AlHassan Yahaya, representing the President of the NUJ, Mr. Chris Isiguzo; the Social/Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Ken Ugbechie, representing the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors; the President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr. Dotun Oladipo; the Chairman of Lagos NUJ, Mr. Leye Ajayi and the Executive Director of the Institute of Media and Society, Dr. Akin Akingbulu.
