NUJ presents cheques to families of deceased journalists

Published: September 21,2013

[Photo: NAN]

Journalists are asked to insure themselves.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, on Friday presented cheques of N500, 000 each to families of three journalists who lost their lives in an auto-crash last month.

The journalists, Kafayat Odunsi, Adolphus Okonkwo, and Tunde Oluwanike died on August 2 while on an official trip.

The National President of the NUJ, Mohammed Garba, advised journalists to take insurance policies. He said that the policy was necessary because of the hazards of journalism and other unforeseen circumstances.

Mr. Garba said the union would enforce insurance policy for journalists through media owners and other stakeholders.

“I need the mandate of NEC. I have my proposal and I will present it to make insurance compulsory for all journalists, so that if you want to be a member of the NUJ, you have to subscribe to the insurance policy. The issue of insurance is part of what we are going to discuss in our next stakeholders meeting. ‘We are going to agitate that media organisations insure their workers.”

Mr. Garba said that Mr. Okonkwo was the only one among the three dead journalists that took an insurance policy and his family would get N1.5 million from AIICO Insurance Plc.

He said, however, that the union’s N500,000 support to each of the families of the deceased could not out-weigh insurance benefits.

The unionist said that Mr. Okonkwo’s family was the third to benefit from the union’s insurance pool.

“The amount to be disbursed is negligent to the number of journalists that have subscribed. We appeal to our members to take the policy, it is just N6,500 per annum. Unfortunately, the two others were not insured and we cannot go beyond our capacity.”

The president said the publicity given to the event was to arouse the conscience of journalists to subscribe to the union’s insurance policy.

AN official of AIICO Insurance Plc, Benson Ogunyamolu, and the Managing Director of YOA Insurance Broker, Kunle Omilani, presented a cheque of N1.5 million to the wife of late Mr. Okonkwo, Anthonia.

(NAN)