The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mallam Garba Muhammed, has assured members of the union that the welfare package the union is advocating would become, reality to honour the memory of the departed members of the union.
He disclosed this while addressing a press conference after the demise of three of its members, who were returning from a meeting in Abuja, where issues concerning package of the members were discussed extensively.
It would be recalled that eleven members of the union were returning to Lagos in a bus belonging to the Lagos State council of the union, when they had an accident as a result of tyre burst, resulting in the vehicle somersaulting several times, killing the three members instantly.
In his address, Garba described the incident as a monumental loss, praying that God gives the family of the departed souls the fortitude to bear the loss.
He also announced that the union suspends all its activities across the country and also called on all chapels of the union across the country to suspend all their activities for seven days, starting from Saturday, as a mark of respect for the departed members and to those on sick bed.
He also urged all the state councils to open a condolence register in honour of the dead members.
He also used the opportunity to make case for insurance policy for members, saying the hazardous nature of the profession necessitates for members to insure their lives.
The NUJ Presidents however eulogized the effort of the government of the State of Osun for its proactive response, saying the timely arrival of its ambulances at the scene of the accident helped save the lives of other victims of the accident.
“The promptness with which the medical personnel attended to the victims, right from the scene of the accident to the hospital in Osun, is an attestation that there is a responsible government in place in the state.
“As a union, we would not forget what the government and the people of the State of Osun did for our members and how you stood by us during difficulty, hence we express our sincere gratitude to the entire people of the state and government,” Garba added.
In his address, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Mr Sunday Akere, expressed the condolence of the state government and its people to the union and the family of the deceased, saying the incident was pathetic and irreparable.
He disclosed that the state government would foot the bills of the victims receiving treatment at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo till they fully recover and are discharged.
Answering questions from journalists, the commissioner disclosed that the vision behind the ambulance scheme of the state government is to save lives in time of emergency.
He disclosed that apart from the fact that the victims were journalists, the government owed its people a duty to protect their lives during emergency, adding that it would not renege in its pledge to give the people the best of governance.
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