The former Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Mr Ben Egbuna, has advocated for a special salary scale for the media? in the country due to the nature of the profession.
Speaking in Iwo yesterday as guest speaker at the second annual seminar lecture titled “Pursuing Excellence in Journalism” of the Bowen University chapter of the National Association of Mass Communication Students (NAMACOS),stated that the peculiar nature of? the media workers? require special treatment when it came to remuneration and noted that journalists work round the clock.
He said, “Media workers? were not on same salary scale with other civil servants in the past. It was? the Udoji Salary Review Commission “that levelled everybody without putting into consideration the peculiar nature of media workers”.
He appealed to government and media organisations to yield to the yearning of journalists and review their salary and stressed that it would motivate them to work harder.
He further charged journalists not to be discouraged but to be more committed to their jobs.
Egbuna? said journalists? should continue to learn and always update their knowledge on issues as this would make them compete favourably with their counterparts across the world.
Egbuna said that the practise of journalism had been developed to a digital level? which made it? easier unlike in? the past when the profession was stressful and challenging but at the end, you will be fulfilled.
He lamented that the kind of English spoken by some broadcasters on radio and television stations was not encouraging, charging journalists to always update their knowledge and acquire better knowledge.
Another lecturer, the Lagos Bureau Chief of French News Agency, Mr Mike Smith urged the students to be bilingual, and said that it would assist them in achieving higher goal in the profession.
Smith commended Nigerian journalists for their excellent performance and observed that journalists in the country? were really working despite? challenges.
He charged them to use their positions as mouthpiece of the public to be agents of change in the country and expose corruption and other social vices.
?