The Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has lamented the plight of its members who are being owed salaries by their employers.
The Chairman of the Council, Dr Quasim Akinreti in a statement titled COVID-19 Pandemic: Where Are The Friends Of Lagos Journalists ? on Sunday, said some media owners have failed woefully to pay salaries as and when due and fulfil basic economic rights of journalists.
The main defaulting media organisations, Dr Akinreti disclosed are The Champion Newspaper, Vanguard Newspapers, THISDAY Newspapers and DAAR Communications.
“ The Champion Newspapers owner, Chief Emmanuel Nwanyanwu, a leading political figure and an industrialist is owing journalists in his stable over 64 months of salaries and other emoluments. Very disturbing, after he sold the “The Champion house” he could not pay off our members.
“Her daughter equally has the effrontery to carry on the newspapers business secretly in the Ajao Estate without paying salaries too. She organized a media award sometimes last month to deceive Nigerians. The Lagos NUJ was there to disrupt the event.
“To the surprise of the Oriental Hotel, how can one of their clients behave irresponsibly. The management of Oriental hotel pleaded with the Lagos NUJ not to hurt their business interests due to the irresponsibility of the Champion Newspapers owner. In the spirit of give and take, the union agreed with the Oriental Hotels management. The agitation continued outside the hotel gate. Surely we have fulfilled our mandate.
“ We are even shocked that one of the best union-friendly newspapers in Nigeria, The Vanguard could not pay salaries for about six months now. The management has continued to engage the union on resolving the problem.
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“ The story of THISDAY will shock everyone. With huge profits made by the company and expansion to other areas of the media, salaries are not paid regularly until it is accumulated for months and later cleared. The remittances of union dues and others have been stalled for a while, until mostly election time, when a member of the newspapers is contesting election or having an ulterior interest in the NUJ leadership. The 2017 Lagos Council NUJ election is a perfect example.
“ Surely, the union is equally embarrassed that despite the huge profits from political coverage in the time past and currently, DAAR Communications cannot meet basic economic needs of our members. Today, some retired members of the DAAR Communications are in court to claim their entitlements.
“ The question is what have journalists done to deserve this lack of respect to self-dignity and economic right?
“ Today, many journalists have become veterans of poor status and suffering in silence. The retirement benefits of members in the Radio Lagos/Eko FM and Lagos Television are yet to be paid. The union has visited the state pension office for prompt action and written a letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo -Olu for a bail-out.
“ The overall effect of this inhumanity to man on the journalism profession and society as a whole are horrendous. Poverty among media practitioners persists, unethical conduct is the order of the day and the voiceless society has to pay to be heard in whatever form”
The Chairman urged human rights lawyers and ministry of labour to help in prosecuting defaulting media houses.
He also called on corporate bodies and philanthropists to help distressed and poor journalists in Lagos.
It is very sad that some newspaper proprietors are notorious for not paying salaries of journalists. It is wickedness at its height. How do they expect journalists to survive? I never experienced this when I was a journalist in the late 80s and early 90s.. This wickedness must stop. How will journalists not be unethical?
You were talking of the golden era of journalism in Nigeria when publishers were indeed entrepreneurs.
Now, gatecrashers and fame seekers with no visible investment before venturing into media and who thought publishing is a quick means to projecting themselves are caught in a dilemma of winding up unsustainable media enterprises or keep running on the blood and tools of Journalists without pay.