NUJ to promote health insurance, capacitybuilding, journalists’ safety

The newly elected President of the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ), Alhassan Yahya, has disclosed the union will promote health insurance, conduct training and ensure safety of journalists during his administration.

In an exclusive chat with The Guardian, Yahya stated NUJ is working on attitudinal change among journalists, improving remuneration and health insurance for them. The health insurance, he explained, is divided into formal, informal and equity.

To him, “we will ensure that our members subscribe to the health insurance policy. We want to see how correspondent chapel under the state council will gather journalists to pay a premium of N15,000 each, yearly. This will enable them access quality healthcare from primary, secondary to tertiary. This will also reduce out-of-pocket expenses, maternal mortality and increase universal health coverage.”

He said NUJ is ready to protect lives of journalists, adding, “I have said it earlier that journalism is not a crime so we must protect the lives of journalists.”

Concerning capacity building, he disclosed, “we are training journalists on the ethics of the profession. NUJ, in its eighth triennial delegates’ conference in Owerri, Imo State, elected new set of national executive officers to run its affairs for the next three years with a woman elected as National Deputy President for the first time in history.”

The conference, which held from November 26 to 29, 2024 saw the emergence Yahya as the National President and Abimbola Oyetunde returning unopposed as the Deputy President of the union.

Yahya was the immediate past National Deputy President of the NUJ and member of the Gombe State Council.

He secured 436 votes to defeat Bamidele Atunbi, former Treasurer of the FCT Council who scored 97 votes, while Muhammed Garba polled 39 votes.

Notable dignitaries, including Joe Ajero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Lanre Ogundipe, a former President of the NUJ; and Declan Emelumba, the Imo State Commissioner for Information, graced the opening of the conference.

In his acceptance speech, Yahya promised to uphold the constitution of the NUJ with all fairness, equity, and justice while carrying out his responsibilities.

Yahya succeeded Chris Isiguzo, who served as the President of the NUJ for two terms, beginning his first term in September 2018. He was re-elected for a second term during the NUJ’s National Delegates Conference in October 2021.