By Sam Oditah
Umuahia, April 28, 2020
Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, who represented Abia North Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019, has advocated a special COVID-19 allowance for practicing journalists in the country.
Ohuabunwa made the call on Tuesday in Umuahia, when he presented N200,000 to the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abia council and Association of Online Media Practitioners in the state.
He said that journalists deserved special support, considering the risk they go through in the course of serving society, especially in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The former lawmaker, who was represented by Dr Ndubuisi Eke, said that the money was to cushion the effect of the lockdown on the chapel members.
He sympathised with journalists over their predicament in the coverage of COVID-19 pandemic, descibing them as part of the frontliners in the fight against the global pandemic.,
He appealed to the federal and state governments as well as public-spirited individuals to come to the aid of journalists at such challenging period.
In a related development, Rep. Uche Nkole, representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia, also donated 25 bags of rice and N150,000 to the two chapels.
A statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the chapel, Chief Obinna Ibe and Steve Oko, stated that Nkole donated the items as his COVID-19 lockdown stimulus package for the media.
The statement said that the lawmaker expressed sympathy with journalists, “who sacrifice so much for society without commensurate reward.”
He urged journalists not to despair, but continue to discharge their constitutional duty of informing, educating and sensitising the society on the COVID-19 and safety guidelines.
The chairman of the chapel thanked the two lawmakers for the gesture, describing it as the first of its kind to the group since the COVID-19 lockdown began in Abia on April 1.
Ibe said that many correspondents were facing difficult times because “most of us are not on salary and those on salary are owed arrears for many years.”
He appealed to other public-spirited individuals, organisations, state and local governments, to consider journalists in their stimulus package to help cushion the effect of the lockdown on them.
According to Ibe, the lockdown is taking a huge toll on journalists, who are part of the frontliners in the war against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
