THE Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, is set to revisit the Media Salary Structure, MSS, for journalists and other media practitioners.

The MSS was muted under Dora Akunyili as the minister of Information and National Orientation.

“We will confront the issue once more, because a labourer is deserving of his wage, so, a saying goes,’’ Chris Isiguzo, the national president of the NUJ, said in Awka.

He spoke during a courtesy visit to C Don Adinuba, the Anambra State commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment.

“We are going to revisit the salary structure. Why can’t we have our own structure?,’’ he queried.

He noted that the salary that journalists receive is not something to write home about when compared to other grade of people in different professions.

“It is clear that the salary the journalists receive is their entitlement. You do not do them favour by paying them their salary because they work for it.

“Our take home, do not even take us home.’’

Isiguzo noted that every other profession including teachers in post primary schools, lecturers in universities have their own special salary structures, except the journalists.

According to him when in 2015, some governors were unable to pay the workers’, they ran to the federal government for bailout funds.

“The media industry is in crisis and needs stabilisation funding to shore of media industry funding.

“We are going to have a head start soon because luckily, a good number of journalists have just been elected into the National Assembly.

“So, by the time they are inaugurated, we are going to interface with them so that we can repackage a new policy on media salary, so that will give legal backing the matter.

“I am sure that journalism will not be the same. It will be given a pride of place by our own in the House.

“We are also going to have a National stakeholders meeting consisting of the NUJ, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, the Nigeria Press Council, RATTAWU, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relation, NIPR.

“Where all of us will come together to discuss how to stabilise the media industry,’’ Isiguzo vowed.

The president also said that the meeting would at the end of the day help to resolve how to stabilise the media industry in Nigeria.

“When the industry is stabilized; you will talk about job security for the media practitioners.

“If you enjoy an appreciable level of security in your job, that is when you will become the conscience of the society.

“A hungry man cannot become the conscience of any society. A man that does not have a voice cannot become the voice of the voiceless,’’ he said.

He added that by the time all the issues would have been sorted out, the media industry will be stabilized. “God willing, when we are through, It is going to business unusual.’’

BE

– Mar. 5, 2019 @ 17:15 GMT |