Senator Ayo Arise, former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
governorship aspirant in the State has called on the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and other employers of journalists in the country to ensure good insurance package for journalists in the country.
While commiserating with the President and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) over the death of three Journalists in a ghastly motor accident which happened in Ilesa, Osun state over the weekend, Arise said; “Journalists in Nigeria deserve to be adequately protected in view of the hazards associated with the journalism profession.”
He described the death of the three top officials of the NUJ as devastating, urging families, friends and associates of the deceased to “remain strong in God, who is the giver and taker of lives.”
Arise also prayed that “God, who is the number one healer of the sick will touch the 10 other journalists who sustained serious injuries in the incidence and are currently receiving medical attention at Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital Complex, Osogbo, Osun State and University College Hospital, Ibadan.”
He urged journalists in the country not to mourn the death of their colleagues like people without hope and faith in God, saying; “As painful as this incident is, our media men should not be deterred. They should not shy away from performing their roles as the fourth estate of the realm.”