Nigeria journalists have done well reporting the plight of workers. The pathetic story of the media, however , remains untold. Lekan Otufodunrin and Theophilus Abbah in this piece published in June 1999 provide a glimpse of the true state of the media.
The sole Administrator of Daily Times Newspaper, Mr. Peter Enahoro, is not known to be a religious person. However, at a press conference last month on the pathetic situation of his company, he had to resort to a biblical verse. " Even the Bible talks about the labourer deserving his wages", he said while sympathizing with his staff who were been owed about nine months salary.
In a no-hold bared briefing, the veteran journalist on whose intelligence and integrity the distressed workers of Daily Times depended for the revival and revitalization of the oldest newspaper in Nigeria, threw up his hand in brazen surrender to failure.
His words " two and half years ago, when I returned to the Daily Times after an absence of thirty years, I was hailed as the man who had walked on water.... (who) had come to restore the Daily Times to its old glory. It has not happened". The situation in the company has become so bad that one of its editors at a recent worldnet programme organised by the African Independent Television (AIT) and the United States Information Service (USIS) at Alagbado, Lagos, introduced himself to the audience as an editor from the distressed Daily Times stable.
It is not only Daily Times that is depressed. Concord Press, perhaps the highest paying media house in Nigeria before the June 12, 1993 presidential election, won by its late proprietor, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, is also distressed. Its staff were paid their November 1998 salaries in April 1999. Also at the Diet Newspaper, the story is that of sadness. Its proprietor, Chief James Ibori, now governor of Delta State, has apparently abandoned the organization. For several months now salaries have not been paid, while transport claims for reporters to cover their beats have been stopped. There are no off-cut or writing pads for reporters to write their stories.
At ThisDay Newspapers, the award winning newspaper, the situation is just a little better.
Despite the huge volume of advertisements that the newspaper attracts, reporters are sometimes owed salaries for at least two months. It took a strike recently to get the management to pay salary arrears owed staff in April.
The story is the same at African Independent Television (AIT) and RayPower.
It is difficult to establish the causes of distress in the media. However the greater part of it is attributed to greed and poor management. The story of one of the defunct media houses illustrates this. The publisher of the promising business newspaper was contesting the governorship of his home state, and the best source of fund was the newspaper's account. After owing his staff salaries for months, he decided to close the paper, saying he was using the money to fund his election campaign. The staff of the rested title have called in vain for justice to be done but all to no avail.
At another media organization which was owing salaries for two months something dramatic happened. The publisher approved the payment of salaries one morning, and the pay-officer commenced the payment. After eleven employees had collected their salaries, the publisher sent an aide instructing the pay officer to stop the payment and give the money to the aide, who was detailed to change the "staff salaries" into dollars to enable the boss travel abroad!.
At the Daily Times, a former Information Minister is being indicted for withdrawing huge amount of money from the newspaper account to sponsor his trips.
This is the true story of media organizations which prefer to point out the speck in other people's eyes ignoring the log in theirs. In the spirit of dogs not eating dogs, journalists have been suffering in silence while shouting themselves hoarse over the inability of government to pay minimum wage.
At the Sketch Newspaper for example, the average journalist salary is less than what is to be paid as minimum wage to civil servants.
In one of the worst typical display of using and dumping journalists with the slightest regards to their right to decent living, the management of the Tribune Newspapers recently sacked more than half of its editorial staff.
A few media organizations like The Punch, Vanguard, Tell and The Guardian deserve commendation for their attention to staff welfare but the general feelings among their workers is that they (media organisations) can do better considering the enormours profit accruing to them.
The pathetic situation in the media deserves attention of all concerned as it has put journalists in a very difficult situation. We have graduate journalists who cannot pay their house rents or provide for their families because their salaries are unpaid. Some have to walk long distances to cover assignments and in due process be subjected to ridicule when they insist on "brown envelopes". The situation explains why very good hands are now searching for opening in other sectors where their lots could be bettered. No wonder standards keep falling.
As the country begins in a democratic era where freedom from oppression, that journalists suffered under the 15-year military regime, is expected to thrive, let us pray to God to touch the industry and create positive change.
Journalism is a noble profession. It is not a curse to be a journalist. Pray for Journalism in Nigeria so that it will be well with the profession.
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