How Plateau journalists remembered eight dead colleagues

The NUJ chapter in the state marked the date on Monday, May 17 with a protest rally to express displeasure over the killing of two journalists in the state last month. Members wore red T-shirts and baseball caps in protest over the recent killings and harassment of journalists in the state. Many described the death […]

The NUJ chapter in the state marked the date on Monday, May 17 with a protest rally to express displeasure over the killing of two journalists in the state last month. Members wore red T-shirts and baseball caps in protest over the recent killings and harassment of journalists in the state.

Many described the death of the journalists as the greatest tragedy to have befallen the state council. The journalists who were in former Governor Joshua Dariye’s convoy, were on their way to cover the commissioning of some projects when one of the tyres of  the 14 seater bus they were travelling in burst and somersaulted thrice. Eight of the 14 passengers in the bus died, including a woman and the driver.

The NUJ centre, where the event took place, was filled to capacity as members of the chapter gathered to honour the souls of their departed colleagues for the third time. The event was attended by the National President of NUJ, Comrade Muhammed Garba, the national secretary of the union as well as the Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Gregory Yenlong, former Managing Editor of the Nigerian Standard, Emma Gogwim and Director in the state Ministry of information, John Agams were all present.  

In 2008, the state chapter of the NUJ led by Katdapba Gobum launched an endowment fund where people were invited to raise money for the families of the deceased journalists.

The effort, according to the state chapter, was to extend a helping hand to the families of the deceased journalists.

Major issues highlighted apart from killings and harassment of journalists in the state include the life assurance cover/policy issue that need to be introduced for journalists in order to provide them with favourable working atmosphere to perform effectively.

In his speech, the National President of NUJ, Muhammed Garba, said the national secretariat has finalized arrangement to launch an insurance cover for practicing journalists, saying that the state council should liaise with the state government to ensure the implementation of the scheme at the state level.

According to him, such a cover will allow journalists to do their work without fear.

Many commentators were of the opinion that beside the endowment fund initiated by the state council in 2008, there is the need for the state government to lend a helping hand to families of the deceased because they died in the course of state  assignment.

“Two weeks ago I was in Lagos over the killing of journalists in the state; the state govt gave flats to each family of the deceased,” Com. Muhammed Garba said.

First civilian Governor of old Plateau state Chief Solomon D. Lar who spoke at his residence on the commemoration said “we recommended that those journalists that died in the accident should be immortalized either by their immediate employers or the state where they were working, but we have no means of knowing whether some of his things have been carried out by the various authorities”.

The state Chairman of the council Mr. Gobum in an interview after the commemoration recalled the vibrancy of the late journalists “They were shining example for many, they were vibrant members in terms of their contribution to the profession and to the state. It was really traumatic and difficult to begin to fathom how we are coping with their absence”.

 “As a council we agreed together with all our colleagues on the need to cushion the effect of the absence of the heads of those families, we brought together people who would raise money no matter how small it was. We were able to raise some money and I think over these three years we have been able to pass through the difficulties, their families also have gradually started to stabilize”.

Mrs. Zainab Agbo is the widow of Isaac Agbo of The Nation Newspapers, one of the victims. She told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the state chapter of the NUJ has been up and doing in ensuring that their families regain their composure especially in terms of meeting their need.

 Mrs Agbo who spoke on behalf of the widows however added, “The response of the state government to our plight is not quite encouraging, our children are entitled to be sponsored to school, we have seen other states doing it, but when we keep on calling on them to come to our aid, some people say we are trouble makers.”

Agada Okopi, a  camera man with the Africa Independent Television (AIT), who also lost a colleague, reporter Emmanuel Adinoyi, in the accident was among the survivors and had spent two and half years on crouches and has undergone five surgeries.

“Life has not been easy because psychologically, you are derailed, physically and emotionally you are challenged. It took me two and a half years to get myself back on track; I went through series of surgeries. Coupled with that, I was unfortunate to run into the hands of a wrong doctor in my first surgery. After eleven months, I had to be moved to Bima orthopaedic centre at Sabon Bariki. I went to theatre four times. My leg was operated upon twice and my hand three times before I could make use of them,” he said.

He added that his employer, AIT had really helped financially and morally stressing that the NUJ state chapter, former Governor Dariye, his in law, younger sister to the senate president as well as his Pastor have helped in one way or the other in footing his medical bills that amounted to millions of naira.

But the Commissioner for information and communication in his response told our correspondent that nobody came to present the plight of the widows to the state government stressing that they are ready to consolidate on what people have done to the widows of the journalists.

 He also added that “I am making fresh presentation to the Governor not only for journalists that died in the 2007 accident but also for those journalists that were killed recently, this would help (the widows) augment what their organizations have done for them.”

Three years gone now, Musa Nuhu of NAN, Moses Ezulike of The Daily Champion, Isaac Agbo of The Nation, Chiwo Avre of Leadership, Emmanuel Adiniyo of AIT, Judith Adama of New Nigeria, Reuben Emeje and Sudan Lar of NTA have left an indelible mark in their places of work as well as in the minds of many through their contributions to the profession and the state at the large. No doubt many would live to remember them.