APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) says that it plans to launch the Nigerian Editors Trust Fund, which is designed to address the professional/welfare needs of media houses and editors in Nigeria.
The NGE said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday that the plan to launch the fund was announced at the annual conference of the group last year as part of its strategy to focus on professional/welfare needs of media houses and editors in Nigeria in order to assist them to continue to discharge their constitutional and social responsibility to the society without necessarily compromising their ethical standards.
According to the statement signed by the President of the NGE, Mr Eze Anaba and the General Secretary, Dr Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the initiative is a response to the increasing professional/welfare challenges faced by the highest echelon of Nigerian journalists in performing their duties.
‘’The trust fund, which is expected to be launched in the first quarters of 2024, will also address the daunting economic challenges that the media executives and editors are faced with during and after office. The fund will benefit the Guild’s members in the print, electronic and online media.
‘’The trust fund will be a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders in the media sector, including the public sector – aimed at addressing key challenges that affect the professionals, who are the ultimate gatekeepers in their media organisations,’’ the statement said.
It added that the trust fund will create the much-desired impact in the journalism profession in Nigeria as the editors and media executives will be exposed to empowerment programmes and innovations in the media industry, retraining and networking opportunities with colleagues from around the world.
It explained that the trust fund, which will be managed by trustees made up of eminent personalities from within and outside the media, will be a fallback cushion for media executives and editors in critical situations, and a source of addressing their welfare needs as well as funding for key media projects that will impact Nigeria’s democracy, good governance and national development.
GIK/APA