Ondo State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists has appealed the State government to revert to the agreed N35,000 palliative wage award for workers bearing in mind that the harsh economic situation in the country has not abated.
The union made the appeal in a communique issued at the end of its congress held on Thursday 30th May, 2024 at the press centre, pen crescent, Alagbaka Akure.
The NUJ congress was presided over by the State Chairman, Prince Leke Adegbite and deliberated on a wide range of issues, from media industry, politics, to economy, security, and welfare of members among others.
The union noted that its members in the Ondo State Government service and other states workers woke up with rude shock that the N35,000 palliative wage award being paid to them, has been drastically reduced to N15,000.
Highlights of the communique are reproduce below:
- That the Union observed that some quacks who are not professional journalists go round the town ahead of the 2024 State gubernatorial election, blackmailing, engaging in unethical conducts with politicians and unsuspecting members of the public. The union Taskforce against Fake journalists has the mandate to track down such characters and hand them over to security operatives.
- That the Congress bemoaned the epileptic and deplorable conditions of the ONDO State Government- owned media organizations, the Ondo State Radiovision Corporation, OSRC, noting that the three channels, OSRC TV, Orange FM and Alalaye Radio have been off air for some times. The Union described the ugly development as a big embarrassment and calls on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene and take right decisions to rescue the media outfits from total collapse.
- That the Congress urges the State Government to fast track transformation of the State-owned Newspaper, The Hope, Owena Press to a Corporation in order to protect working career of our colleagues working at the media organization.
- It came to the view of the Congress that ugly activities of burglars and domestic thieves have soared in recent times in Akure and other parts of the state due to the economic hardship caused by fuel subsidy removal and Naira policy, the NUJ Congress therefore urges Security Operatives to combat the trend while the Ondo state government to come up with deliberate policy to make every Friday a ‘Farming Day’ to given opportunity to workers to farm as a way of tackling food shortage and high price.
- That the Congress commends Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration for sustaining and adding five new Buses to the fleet of Free School Shuttle Busses, saying the step will reduce burdens of parents in transporting their children to and fro schools.
COMMUNIQUE DRAFTING COMMITTEE:
- Oluwatosin Ighoteguono (FRCN Positive FM Chapel).
- Debbie Funmilayo (State Information Chapel).
- Olaoluwa Meshack (State Secretary)
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