The North-East Development Commission has donated professional media equipment worth millions of naira to journalists who lost their work tools in an accident while inspecting NEDC projects in Bauchi State.
The presentation took place on Monday at the commission’s office in Gombe State.
Our correspondent gathered that no fewer than 13 journalists sustained injuries and lost their equipment during the accident, which occurred while they were on an official inspection tour of NEDC projects alongside commission officials.
Items donated included Canon and Sony video cameras, tripods, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, iPhones and other essential media equipment destroyed in the incident.
Presenting the items, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari-Ahmadu, commended the NEDC for what he described as a prompt and thoughtful intervention.
“This gesture is not only timely but also reassuring. It shows that the Federal Government values the welfare of journalists who put themselves at risk to promote transparency and accountability, especially in reporting development projects,” Maigari-Ahmadu said.
He added that journalists remained critical partners in the Federal Government’s development initiatives across the North-East.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Mohammed Goni-Alkali, said the donation was meant to enable the affected journalists to resume work after their recovery.
“These journalists were on official duty, carrying out their professional responsibility of assessing and reporting NEDC projects when the unfortunate incident occurred.
“As a commission, we consider it a moral responsibility to support them and ensure they are not further disadvantaged,” Goni-Alkali said.
Also speaking, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahya, described the commission’s response as commendable, noting that the NEDC had stood by the journalists from the moment of the accident.
“The NEDC has shown uncommon concern, from ensuring medical care to now replacing the tools of work destroyed in the accident.
“This is a clear demonstration of institutional responsibility,” Yahya said.
While assuring the union’s readiness to partner with the commission in projecting its activities across the region, Yahya appealed to the NEDC to consider enrolling practising journalists in the NUJ Life Premium Insurance Scheme to further strengthen welfare support.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the NUJ Bauchi State Council, Sa’idu Umar, expressed appreciation to the commission, describing the intervention as rare and impactful.
“The NEDC stood with our members from the scene of the accident through their hospitalisation and recovery. This support will greatly boost the morale of journalists working under difficult and risky conditions,” Umar said.
