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Lagos NUJ chairman: Deji Elumoye
Sir, recently you granted an interview to a newspaper in Lagos, where you insisted that some bloggers should not be regarded as journalists. Can you elaborate on this please?
Yes, the social media is neither good nor bad. It depends on your motive and intention .Some bloggers pick-up their information from beer parlors as gossips and without having the patient to verify this information will simply post such online. This is bad. There was a blogger who posted that Nelson Mandela was dead. Up till the time of speaking with you, the former president of South Africa is still alive and kicking. Yet, the blogger did not deem it fit to even apologize. This is very, very bad. It is inhuman, unethical and certainly not in accordance with the journalism profession. These were some of the many reasons I said some bloggers should not be regarded as trained, certificated and experienced journalists. In the journalism profession, you have got to hear all the sides to an issue and also reflect these sides in your write-ups. Are you now saying that all bloggers are not journalists? No, remember I said, some, not all. There are trained and certificated journalists, who should be encouraged, as bloggers. But, certainly, untrained bloggers parading themselves as journalists cannot be encouraged by NUJ in Nigeria.
Away from the controversies of blogging, tell us about the NUJ-AIICO insurance scheme?
Yes. Nigeria Union of Journalists has an insurance relationship with the American Insurance Company of Nigeria Plc. Journalists across states in Nigeria and Abuja are expected to have life insurance policy with the insurance company. You know as well as I do that our job is risky. So, with token annual contributions of about N7000 every year, journalists could be insured against any eventualities.
How does it work?
Wherever state a journalist is operating from, he/she simply need to walk into the state secretariat of NUJ and pay the money. The NUJ chairman for the state will go the national headquarters of NUJ in Abuja to pay in the money and collect the forms for onward delivery to the journalists. You see, it is a national issue and the journalism body at the national level coordinates it. The journalist is expected to fill the form and return to his/her state secretariat of NUJ for processing, after which e policy card will be issued to the person.
eeudomyahoocom is based in Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria,
and is a Reporter for Allvoices.
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