Mixed reaction over FG plan to extend bailout to media houses

WORRIED by media proprietors’ inability to pay salary to their staff as when due, the President of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama, has called Federal Government to extend bailout fund to media industry.
Kaigama who made the call during a capacity building, organised by ASCSN with Lafarge for Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, described the condition under which some media houses are operating as non-conducive environment.
Kaigama who was represented by the media official, Comrade Tony Masha, noted that in spite of media houses, always helping people corporate bodies and organisations to fight and help to win battles, most media owners owe their staff.
“It is very painful that while journalists help to fight against injustices for others they often don’t address their own issues. Is it bad that the same journalists that are in the forefront to address issues of others ignore their own. When workers in other sectors are being owed, the same media houses will not think of finding solutions to their own cases. As Federal Government gave bailouts to state government, government should work out modalities to bailout. In a country where there is no social security, many media owners have no retirement benefits for their staff.”
In swift reactions, most of the participants in the workshop, noted that the call was very commendable if FG will extend bailout to media houses. But they expressed their concern on the modality noting that media proprietors would hijack it while journalists may not benefit from it.
Similarly, other facilitators in the training, Barrister Nosa Director, Executive Director, the Nigerian Lawyer, urged fellow lawyers to work according to the ethics of the profession rather constituting obstacles to quick prosecution of justice.