By Halilu Mohammed Teli
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated professional media equipment worth millions of naira to journalists who sustained various degrees of injuries in a road traffic accident while inspecting NEDC projects in Bauchi State.
The donation, which took place at the commission’s Gombe State office, included Canon and Sony video cameras, tripods, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, iPhones, and other essential working tools destroyed during the accident.
Presenting the items, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Alhaji Uba Maigari Ahmadu, applauded the NEDC for its swift intervention, describing the gesture as timely and motivating for the affected journalists.
He said the federal government remained committed to the welfare of journalists, recognising their role in promoting transparency and accountability, particularly in the reporting of development projects across the region.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali, explained that the donation was aimed at replacing equipment lost in the accident to enable the journalists to return to their professional duties once they had fully recovered.
According to him, the commission considered the gesture a moral responsibility, noting that the journalists were on official duty to assess and report on NEDC projects when the accident occurred.
The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, described the commission’s action as commendable, praising the NEDC for standing by the journalists from the moment of the incident through their treatment and recovery.
While assuring the union’s willingness to partner with the NEDC in projecting its activities across the North East, he appealed to the commission to consider enrolling practising journalists in the NUJ Life Premium Insurance Scheme as part of broader welfare support.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the NUJ Bauchi State Council, Sa’idu Umar, expressed gratitude to the NEDC for what he described as uncommon support, noting that the commission stood with the victims from the scene of the accident to their hospitalisation.
He said the gesture would go a long way in boosting the morale of journalists working under challenging conditions, especially those covering development activities in the region.
The event was attended by NEDC officials, NUJ leaders, and representatives of the affected journalists.
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