By Gift Samuel, The Sight News
Abuja-Following the lack of payment of salaries by media owners to journalists who work for them,the Ambassador of Ecuador to Nigeria, His Excellency Rovayo Leopoldo has urged media owners to ensure that they pay salaries to journalists who work for them.
The Ambassador who made this call on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 2-day workshop on reporting diplomacy for diplomatic correspondents organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, in conjunction with the Diplomats Extra Magazine, said that the act stem from the lack of respect for journalists by the media owners.
He however tasked the NUJ to take up the challenge of researching and approaching the media owners to try to find out a solution, adding that if any body works anywhere he has to be paid and journalists should not be exceptions.
According to him; “I have discovered that a lot of owners of newspapers and other media don’t respect journalists work for them because they don’t pay them so the journalist has to ask those they interview to get some money, but I think that is not fair because journalism should be a very well paid work.
“I also discover that Nigerians, I don’t know if all of them but a lot of them don’t pay you, so I think there is a job to be made by the association to approach the owners of the media and try to find out a solution. If any body works anywhere he has to be paid, why not journalists?” He questioned.
While noting that the profession could be risky, he challenged Journalists to use their work to make the world better, adding that, “Journalism is one of the best profession we could have because it gives us information to make this world better, of course that depends on your approach to your profession and I hope that you really love what you do”.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman, FCT Council of the NUJ, Comrade Paul Ella Abechi said the initiative is laudable for diplomatic correspondents, and urged journalists to seize the opportunity and tap from the wonderful resource persons that are coming to add value to their job.
The workshop which held at the China Chamber of Commerce in Nigeria and has the theme-“Global Best Practice in Diplomatic Reporting” is part of activities marking the 2017 Press Week of the FCT Council of the NUJ.
The opening ceremony was attended by a number of dignitaries including Amb Bulus Z. Lolo, former Prmanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Amb Harry Purwanto, ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria; Dr Austin Maho from the International Institute of Nigeria; Comrade Paul Ella Abechi, charman of the FCT council of the NUJ.
