The Nigerian Guild of Editors has called for insurance cover for journalists in the country to encourage them to carry out their duties effectively.
President of the NGE, Mr Mustapha Isah, made the call in a sideline interview with newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
He said such insurance policy would encourage journalists to go the extra mile in getting authentic stories and disseminating credible information.
According to him, insurance cover for journalists in the country was a necessity and would boost their morale, enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the media industry.
Isah explained that journalists in Nigeria are practising in a difficult and sometimes dangerous environment, thereby putting their lives on the line.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, media houses didn’t shut down. Journalists were still going out to do their work, even without any form of insurance cover.
“Some of us were infected in the process. Also, some journalists lost their lives in Kano and Abuja during the Shie’a protest.
“As we speak now, a reporter from Vanguard newspaper is missing and has not been found. Journalists should have insurance cover.
“CNN would not take you without having an insurance cover for you. That is why their journalists would be bold to report even from the war front,” the NGE President said.
Isah narrated how a Director of Press in a military formation in Maiduguri once told him to come to Borno to cover the war against insurgency, instead of calling via the phone every time there was an attack.
“I told him I didn’t have an insurance cover to cover the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Borno.
“I asked him if I die in the process what would happen to my family. So, there is an urgent need for media house owners to get insurance cover for their journalists,” he said.