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Journalists at Risk As Health Workers in Fight Against COVID-19, Says Minister
Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, has said journalists reporting events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk of contracting the virus as much as health workers.
Mohammed, while responding to questions at the daily Presidential Task Force briefing on Tuesday, said journalists should be considered frontline soldiers in the fight against the disease.
He said enlightenments, sensitisations and other interventions will be impossible without the presence of the media.
“As of today, there is no known vaccine or medicine for COVID-19. The only strategy we are employing is non pharmaceutical intervention which is advocacy, enlightenment and sensitisation.
“These cannot be carried out without the support of the media. Therefore, it won’t be wrong to qualify a journalist as a frontline soldier in the fight against COVID-19.
“We pray nobody contracts the virus but you are probably at much risk as the health workers,” he said.
Mr Mohammed also said discussions will be raised at the Task Force meeting for compensation of journalists by their employers.
“I think just as our health workers, airport workers etc are frontline soldiers in this war, you also are.
“So it won’t be out of place to take up this matter at the level of the task force and also engage your employers as to what kind of arrangement can be made for journalists, especially those of you who are with us everyday,” the minister said.
Despite the outbreak of COVID-19, journalists in many parts of the world are still covering press conferences and conducting on-the-ground reporting. This exposes them to the virus as much as health workers who are considered first respondents to patients.
Since the outbreak of the disease, some journalists have contracted the virus.
The latest case is Richard Quest, a Cable Network News (CNN) reporter. Already, Chris Cuomo and Brooke Baldwin, both of the CNN, had tested positive for COVID-19.
COVID-19 has infected over 2.5 million people and killed at least 176,000 people worldwide according to the worldometer.info
It is, however, uncertain if any journalist has contracted the virus in Nigeria where 665 cases have been recorded, of which 188 have been treated and discharged and 22 deaths recorded.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, earlier said journalists covering COVID-19 deserves to be placed on a special insurance package.
According to a statement published on the centre’s website, Mr Arogundade said journalists are among professionals “who are always on duty during crisis situations and their safety should therefore be accorded very high priority.”
“From provision with protective wears and adequate supply of basics such as hand sanitisers, nothing can be too much to do for journalists on the field at this moment,” he said.
He advised journalists to avail themselves of all the health tips on avoiding COVID-19 infection especially as outlined by global health bodies and national health institutions.
“Journalists should apply necessary caution so as not to expose themselves to avoidable health risk in the understandable urge to cover breaking stories on the pandemic,” he said.
Premium Times
The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 third-place playoff on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali proved the hero of the night with two crucial saves during the shootout, including one from Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
Ademola Lookman then calmly converted the decisive penalty to secure the bronze medal —Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in a cagey second half, the game ended 0-0, sending the contest directly to penalties.
Despite Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missing Nigeria’s first kick, Nwabali’s immediate saved from Egypt’s first two attempts shifted the momentum.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the son of a former Jigawa State governor, challenging the decision of the trial court, which convicted him for failing to declare $40,000 at Kano airport.
In a unanimous decision, the apex court panel dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, the son of former governor Sule Lamido, for lack of merit.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Aminu on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while preparing to travel to Cairo, Egypt.
The prosecution said Aminu declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), but was found with an additional $40,000, which was not disclosed on his currency declaration form.
The EFCC charged him before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count offence of false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
On July 12, 2015, the court convicted Aminu and ordered him to forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the Federal government.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Aminu approached the Court of Appeal in Kaduna to overturn the conviction and set aside the forfeiture order.
In a judgment delivered on December 7, 2015, however, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former governor Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged N1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer.
Both appeals were against the July 25, 2023, judgments of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld the no-case submission made by Lamido and others and struck out the 37-count charge on which they were being prosecuted, on the grounds that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
In the lead judgments of the Supreme Court, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the July 25, 2023 judgments of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the earlier decision by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which overruled the no-case submissions by Lamido and others and ordered them to enter their defence.
The EFCC, in the 37-count charge, among others, accused Lamido of abusing his position as a governor between 2007 and 2015, allegedly laundering sums of money received as kickbacks from companies that were awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government under his leadership.
The other defendants charged alongside Lamido are his two sons – Aminu and Mustapha; Aminu Wada Abubakar and their companies – Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
