The Nigerian Guild of Editors, has urged editors to explore other revenue yielding ventures or business prospects to ensure that life after their editorial assignments is not nightmarish.
The editors guild in a communique issued after it 13th conference held from September 20 to 24, in Port Harcourt Rivers State, also called on the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria and other media stakeholders to collaborate and ensure the setting up of newsprint production companies.
The communique read, “the media industry has been, and is still, experiencing a crisis of recession proportions and that government should do more to ensure a conducive environment for the media to flourish. There is need for Editors, while remaining professionally excellent, to also explore other revenue yielding ventures or business prospects to ensure that life after their editorial assignments is not nightmarish”.
“Editors should, in addition to their editorial functions, concern themselves with the business side of the media industry to ensure that their establishments thrive, and that their venture into business upon retirement will be based on informed knowledge gained while in service”.
“Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and other media stakeholders should collaborate to ensure the setting up of newsprint production companies and resuscitation of the moribund one in Oku Iboku, Akwa Ibom State, to address the crisis of high cost of imported newsprints, same as Mass Communication Departments and Journalism training institutions should include business courses in their curricula so as to prepare future editors for the business side of the media industry”.
It further appealed to the federal government and State government to pay outstanding gratuities and pensions of retired Editors.
“we appeal to the Federal and state governments to pay outstanding gratuities and pensions of retired Editors and other classes of retirees to make life after retirement less stressful and we commend the Nigerian Army and other security agencies for their efforts aimed at curtailing the activities of insurgents, militants and other groups threatening peace and security of the country”.
