The National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Waheed Odusile, said his administration was working out plans to ensure that fresh journalists going into the Federal Civil Service would start from GL10.
Odusile said this on Saturday during the Lagos Council Congress at Alausa, Ikeja, where he paid a thank you visit to journalists in the state after his emergence as president of NUJ in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Odusile, a Managing Editor with the Nations Newspaper emerged the president of NUJ on July 25 at the 5th triennial delegates’ conference in Abuja after defeating five others.
Odusile said that journalists working with the Federal Government deserved better welfare in view of their all days working activities.
According to him, journalists neither have closing time nor public holidays, unlike their colleagues in other departments in same ministries or parastatals.
“ Our plan as entering point for graduates into the federal service as journalist is grade level 10, so that they will be two levels ahead of others in other departments.
“The federated chapels, that is journalists working with the Federal Government should seat down and put together all they need from the government.
“Those in Lagos should seat with the Lagos State Council and draw up all they know they should earn. They know what they want. We can use it as a working tool to talk to the government.
“While all other employees of government closed at 4p.m., the journalists are on duty till bed time, on public holidays and weekend,’’ Odusile said.
The NUJ president, who commended members of the Lagos council for their support and for conducting themselves maturely during the election, urged them to be good ambassadors of the union.
He advised against unprofessional conducts that would bring the union and his administration into disrepute; stressing that any wrong done by Lagos members would send wrong signal to other states.
Odusile assured the members that all his promises during his electioneering campaign would be fulfilled.
He said that the plan to have an NUJ radio station was on top gear, adding that the license to operate the station would be collected in no distant time.
On the activities of fake journalists in the country, the president said his administration was working out modalities to checkmate them by the issuance of identity card to every member either yearly or every three years.
He said that his administration was also planning several training programmes for members across the nation with the establishment of NUJ training school.
Earlier, the Council’s Chairman, Mr Deji Olumoye commended the members for supporting the new NUJ president to win the election, adding that the council would give all necessary support to the administration.
Mrs Toro Oladapo, former President of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) called on the national body to ensure that there was synergy between the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and NUJ.
Oladapo said that a situation where some decisions were taken by NGE without the knowledge of NUJ was not in the best interest of the members
She said that synergy would help the two bodies to be on same page on issues concerning journalists.
NAN
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