The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) turned 70 on March 15 having being formed on March 15, 1955, during the struggle for independence from British rule. Attaining this great milestone is worth celebrating. No wonder, the organization has received congratulatory messages from Nigerians, including politicians, captains of industry and many stakeholders in the media sphere. We salute the NUJ for its numerous achievements at 70.
We also use this opportunity to salute the pioneer leaders of NUJ such as Mobalaji Odunewu, Olu Oyesanya, Bisi Onabanjo and others. It is to their eternal gratitude that the NUJ later evolved into a trade union body registered under the Labour Laws Cap 2000. In 1977, the NUJ became an effective trade union and professional body. At present, it has 37 state councils, six zones and numerous chapels and affiliate bodies such as NAWOJ, NGE and SWAN.
The NUJ was primarily established to improve the working conditions of journalists and promoting professional standards. The NUJ has within the past 70 years significantly improved the welfare of its members. However, there is need for more improvement in this regard. No doubt, the NUJ has been advocating for press freedom and the protection of journalists from harassment, intimidation, and arrests.
It has also pushed for laws that support media rights and challenged oppressive policies that threaten free speech. The NUJ has organized workshops, seminars, and training programmes to improve the skills and ethical standards of journalists. NUJ has collaborated with international organizations to enhance investigative journalism and digital media literacy. The union has fought for better working conditions, fair wages, and job security for journalists in Nigeria. It has provided legal support for journalists facing persecution or unfair treatment. The NUJ has developed and enforced ethical guidelines to maintain professionalism and credibility in journalism. It works closely with regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Press Council (NPC) to uphold journalistic integrity.
The union has been active in the fight against misinformation and disinformation, thereby promoting responsible journalism. It has launched awareness campaigns to educate the public and journalists on media literacy. The NUJ has played a role in national discourse by speaking out on issues of governance, democracy, and human rights. It has acted as a mediator between the government and media organisations during times of crises. The NUJ has supported the establishment of more media houses and strengthened local and international partnerships to boost Nigeria’s media industry.
Despite the modest achievements of the NUJ, there are still other issues to address. The recurring harassment, intimidation, torture and killing of journalists have not been adequately addressed. Some media houses have been shut down or sanctioned for publishing stories critical of the government. The poor wages in the industry and non-payment of salaries in some media houses must be addressed by the NUJ.
Sadly, journalists working in dangerous conditions lack proper insurance and safety measures. Reporters covering corruption, terrorism, and political issues often receive death threats. Some have been kidnapped or killed while carrying out their duties. Many journalists lack modern investigative journalism skills and access to digital tools and advanced reporting techniques thereby affecting the quality of journalism. Nigeria lacks strong legal protections for journalists and defamation laws are sometimes used to silence critical reporting.
The 70th anniversary of NUJ should be a period of introspection. There is need for training and retraining of journalists. This will enhance their skills and professionalism. The success in running many media houses profitably will help journalists to transition seamlessly from workers to media entrepreneurs. The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and others should work in concert to strengthen the NUJ achieve its lofty goals.
The NUJ must ensure professionalism and enthrone ethical standards in the practice of the profession. It must check the influx of non-professionals in journalism practice. As NUJ marks its 70th anniversary, we urge the Federal Government to drastically reduce import duties on newsprint, ink, chemicals and other materials used in the production of newspapers. The same should apply to input used by the electronic media. The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has a vital role to play here. Therefore, we call on President Bola Tinubu to urgently do something in this regard to save the media industry from imminent collapse.