LET’S SAVE NIGERIAN DYING JOURNALIST:
AUSTIN FAIR NWAULU, Nigeria’s Famous REPORTER Battling STROKE on SICK Bed….Unable to cater for Medical Challenge due to unpaid Salaries at National Mirror, Hallmark, Business Hallmark Newspapers
*Already Exhaust all Personal Savings, Auction Properties
*Reasons Nigeria don’t have Official Standard Salaries Template for Press
*Why Nigerian Journalists Have No Insurance during Assignments
*BEGS: “I Don’t Want to DIE, Pain is Too Much. Please Help Me with Donations to Austin Fair Nwaulu, DIAMOND BANK Acct No: 0038475459”
*To reach him directly on Hospital BED, call: +234 803 324 7569
*STROKE: ‘The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood flow or rupture of an artery to the brain. Sudden loss of speech, weakness, or paralysis of one side of the body can be symptoms’
BY OLU ADEBOWALE/STAFF WRITER, ABUJA
HE created ‘FAIR STROKES’-a popular entertainment column on some of Nigerian very prominent national newspapers: National Mirror, Hallmark, Business Hallmark. AUSTIN Fair Nwaulu is regarded in the Nigerian media industry as a great and creative writer whose deep knowledge in investigative journalism has shaped most policies in the nation’s entertainment industry. Just in matter of days, Austin was feeling numb in few parts of his body after he had said his morning prayers. He was rushed to the hospital in Lagos, only for medical results to confirm that he is suffering cerebrovascular accident, otherwise called ‘Stroke,’ due to sudden death of brain cells caused by lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood flow or rupture of an artery to the brain.
In view of the effect of the ‘Stroke’, our reporter gathered that Austin is now suffering sudden loss of speech, weakness, or paralysis of one side of the body can be symptoms. Unfortunately, he has already spent all his personal savings, auctioned his properties just to pay his medical bills.
Austin is having difficulty further paying his medical bills thereby requesting for financial donations from Nigerians in all walks-of-life to save him from death. At this time around, he is unable to cater for his medical bills due to accrued unpaid salaries at National Mirror, Hallmark and Business Hallmark Newspapers. While Jimoh Ibrahim, a billionaire businessman was in charge of National Mirror, Emeka Obasi, a veteran journalist was publisher of Business Hallmark. Sadly, these publishers seem not bothered by the predicaments of one of their former employees owed huge sums of salaries.
It has been discovered that Nigeria don’t have official standard salaries template for press remuneration because there is no legislative laws in the country ever passed that could meet a consensus, regulatory salary structure of the press in the country.
Only two years ago, it was learnt that stakeholders had yet to forward any proposal on the matter to President Muhammadu Buhari since he assumed office. Then, Yemisi Bamgbose, President of the Radio, Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union, reportedly confirmed that the union had not made any proposal to the new administration on the matter due to the current economic depression, “Everybody is fighting for survival now because of job losses and non-payment of salaries in government and private organisations.”
Only last year, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, reportedly called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to enhance the salaries of journalists and other media workers in the country. Deji Elumoye, Chairman of the Lagos Council of the union, made the call in Lagos.
He expressed regret that the present pay of workers in most media organisations was nothing to write home about, adding that the remuneration was not commensurate with the kind of services rendered by the journalists, who worked even at odd hours.
His words: “Journalists are very important people in the society, given the kind of services they render, the long hours they have to put into their work and the hazards they face. Ironically, there is room for improvement in the kind of pay media workers earn today and we are saying it is time the government fast-tracks the implementation of the special media salary scale proposed by the NUJ.
“Journalists, just like teachers, lecturers and doctors are not like other civil servants, so media workers should have a special salary structure like lecturers and others who render specialized services. The government should put its change mantra to work in this area by ensuring that the journalists are adequately rewarded, in line with their enormous contributions to national development.
Also regrettably, Nigerian journalists don’t have no insurance scheme in place to cater for danger they may encounter while covering official assignments that may turn ‘violent’, and eventually lead to loss of life.
Making a passionate plea with his struggled-speech now hampered by Stroke, Austin is begging: “I Don’t Want to DIE, Pain is Too Much. Please Help Me with Donations to Austin Fair Nwaulu, DIAMOND BANK Acct No: 0038475459.”
*To reach him directly on Hospital BED, call: +234 803 324 7569
