A Non-Governmental Organisation, Baywood Foundation, has distributed COVID-19 palliatives to members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council.
The items include 50 bags of Rice, 50 cartons of Indomie Noodles and 50 pieces of face masks.
The gesture was aimed at cushioning the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown introduced by both the Federal and State Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus as well as protect journalists in their performing their duties
Presenting the items at the NUJ Press Centre, Rangers Avenue, Enugu, Country Director of Baywood Foundation, Chukwudi Ojillo said that the role of the media cannot be underestimated.
They provide daily reports which help members of the public to keep abreast of the happenings in the country especially at this present time as it relates to COVID- 19
He observed that government and many organisations had directed their attention to health workers, forgetting the role of the media at this critical moments.
Responding, the chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journaiists, NUJ, Enugu State Council, Comrade Rex Arum, thanked the group for their gesture.
He said that the gesture was unprecedented in the history of the NUJ in the state.
In his words, “The union cannot thank the foundation enough. I am particularly overwhelmed because it has never happened like this before when you have a group that is thinking about the place of the media in the society”.
The chairman noted that a lot of journalists in the country have fallen in the course of their duty in recent times.
He lamented that such sacrifices were usually not appreciated by the government.
