By Godwin Maria Utuedoye
Professional Journalists in Delta State are the cheapest labour you can see anywhere.
While some commissioners and top government officials pay corp members heavily, sponsoring their trips and paying several allowances to them.
Whereas, professional journalists receive as low as 3k, 5k or 7k as stipend from government monthly.
Today, we have numerous SSA’S, SA’S, PA’S, FA’S, and UA’S on media. Some don’t publish one story daily, but their salaries are paid as and when due.
Several allowances are being paid to them including wardrobe allowances, and treated nicely either because they are thugs or touts.
It is again appalling to note that the professional journalist who uses his intelligence, ideas, energy, time, data, fuel, his resources and gadgets to promote the many activities and lies of the government daily, are treated with scorn and contempt.
Well, I won’t blame them so much because amongst us, there are some that have categorized themselves as ‘powerful’. They are ready to tell those in authority not to support any other except themselves and families.
Now since the inception of the D-CARES empowerment program till this phase four, aside being a journalist with family political background whose name is sometime smuggled in, how many journalists like me have benefitted from the programme?
Majority of government media managers are wicked and selfish. They don’t care about journalists.
To some, it is not my right but just a privilege or out of their generosity for the government to take care of me. But they want me to promote lies.
Lets say the truth, outside blackmailing others and being sycophantic, which among us journalists can boast of receiving 1million or 500k from the government yearly?
E dey?
Media managers that see 5k at this critical and harsh economy as something big. Managers that will send 100k to 40 persons as stipends, and we continue to count such as money. For what? We are too wicked.
We journalists know how to fight for small monies from the government, but we see those killing us and we smile at them and hail them because we want to be in their good book. Tell them the truth and let them not give me the satans food any more.
Godwin-Maria Utuedoye, Vice Chairman ICC.
