By Aliyu Adekunle
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has called for bail out for media oraganisations, as a way of helping media houses in financial crisis.

National President of the union, Mallam Garba Mohammed, who spoke when he paid a working  visit to Vanguard Media Limited in Lagos, yesterday, said if other sectors of the economy could be bailed out, the media, in view of its important role to society, deserved it more.

He noted that if the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had to give bail out to save banks in the financial and other sectors of the economy, “media organisations that had championed democracy in the country, must be given bail out, owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country.”

He was received in Vanguard by the Editor, Mr. Mideno Bayagbon and his Deputy, Mr. Eze Anaba.

Mohammed, who led other national and zonal officers of the union on the visit, also harped on the removal of import duties on news print for print media organizations, as a way of reducing the escalating cost of production.

On issue of security for journalists, which he noted was a global concern, he said the NUJ lost five of its members in January, this year alone, four in Plateau State and one in Kano State, adding that “the union had put in place, a personal insurance scheme for journalists that will enable each journalist to take part in the scheme as the union was engaging media houses on how they could take insurance policies for their members.