Monarch Wants Govt’s Support For Media Industry

Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom in Jesse, Ethiope West Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta, Chief Obukohwo Whiskey (Udurhie 1), has urged the Federal Government to intervene and prevent collapse of media industry in Nigeria.
Whiskey said this when he spoke with newsmen in Benin yesterday.
He said a situation where most journalists were being owed several months of salaries by media organisations was an abnormally that needed to be addressed.
He also appealed to media owners to strive hard to change this narrative.
“I think very strongly that we are facing a crisis in the practice of journalism in Nigeria and we need to go back to the drawing board.
“The journalism practice and the media industry in Nigeria today needs a lifeline.
“That many newspapers can no longer pay their staff and many others can no longer print the number of pages you use to print, while yet others are going off the news stand, it is an indication of harsh economic weather,” he said.
Whiskey added: ”Over 2000 social media sites cannot be equated to one national newspaper and that was the training I got as a journalist.
“As a thoroughbred professional, I know that the country will gain more to have newspapers flourishing.
“Ethics and laws are guiding the profession and not these publications on social media sites that do not have control.
“Social media has suddenly become the breeding ground for misinformation, mud sliding, and others because at every point there is no check. The traditional media needs government’s support to bounce back. “
In a related development, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Saturday, berated media owners for their continued non-payment of journalists’ salaries in the country.
The union’s criticism was conveyed in a communique issued and read by the President, Mr Chris Isiguzo, at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Asaba, the Delta capital.
“The Union believes that this negative trend continues to impact negatively on the practice of journalism.
“Media owners who owe journalists should discharge their obligations in this respect, responsibly and as when due.
“A situation where some journalists are made to work for months without any salary is an aberration and should be condemned.
The union also called on the Federal Government to provide COVID-19 bail out funds to the media.
“The Federal Government should urgently intervene to save the media industry from collapse. A vibrant and independent media is germane to a democracy and as such should be jealously guarded and protected,” it said.
It lauded the contributions of the TETfund to tertiary education over the years, and appealed to the Federal Government to inject sufficient funds into TETfund to ensure a complete overhaul of the Nation’s tertiary education system.
The union also urged the Federal Government to overhaul its security apparatus, as well as accede to the clamour for state police, to bolster the security system.