Ogun NUJ Draws Media Wishlist for Yayi, Demands Better Welfare, Infrastructure

Union seeks modern secretariat, journalists’ estate, digital newsroom, welfare scheme, stronger media-government partnership

By Adenike Olowe

The Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has presented an extensive Charter of Demands to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, seeking concrete commitments towards the development of the media industry and improved welfare of Journalists in the State.

The Union made the demands on Friday, September 25, 2026, during an interface between Senator Adeola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in Ogun State, and Journalists in Abeokuta.

Rather than focusing solely on political issues, the engagement provided the NUJ with an opportunity to put the professional and welfare concerns of Journalists before one of the major political stakeholders in the State ahead of the 2027 Governorship election.

Global Mirror News reports that the Ogun NUJ leadership acknowledged previous interventions by Senator Adeola in support of the journalism community, including the provision of a solar-powered borehole, laptops and assistance towards the Union’s annual Press Week programmes.

However, Ogun NUJ Council Chairman, Comrade Akinwale Olanrewaju, said the interventions should be expanded into a broader and sustainable media development agenda capable of producing lasting benefits for journalists and media institutions in Ogun.

He said this was particularly important as the Ogun NUJ prepares to mark its 50th anniversary, stressing that the golden jubilee should go beyond celebrations to produce enduring institutional assets for Journalists.

At the centre of the Union’s demands is the ITESIWAJU Framework for Media Development and Good Governance, through which the NUJ is seeking support for a number of projects designed to strengthen the media sector in the State.

Among the key demands is support for the completion of a modern permanent NUJ Secretariat at Leme.

The Union also requested the establishment of a Digital Newsroom, a Multimedia Recording and Voice Studio, as well as a Journalists’ Games and Recreation Arena at the historic Iwe Iroyin Press Centre in Abeokuta.

According to the NUJ, these facilities would help create a more modern working environment for Journalists while strengthening the historical and professional significance of Iwe Iroyin, widely associated with Nigeria’s journalism heritage.

The Union also called for Government partnership in establishing a Media Innovation Hub to assist in modernising digital transmission facilities in state-owned media organisations, particularly the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) and Ogun State Television (OGTV).

Another major demand is the development of a subsidised housing estate for Journalists, alongside a shopping mall around the NUJ Secretariat as part of efforts to promote urban regeneration around the area.

Beyond infrastructure, the NUJ placed significant emphasis on the welfare and professional development of Journalists.

The Union called for structured training programmes in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, digital journalism, investigative reporting, data journalism and fact-checking.

Global Mirror News gathered that the NUJ also requested scholarships, equipment support, zero-interest loans, health insurance and occupational-risk protection for Journalists working across the State.

The Union said improved welfare was necessary to enable Journalists to discharge their constitutional and professional responsibilities effectively, particularly those working in difficult and high-risk environments.

The NUJ further called for a more institutionalised relationship between Government and the media, anchored on regular briefings, unrestricted access to public information and protection of journalists in the course of their professional duties.

It proposed the establishment of a joint NUJ-Government advisory framework to provide a structured platform for engagement between the Government and the media community.

The Union equally called for stronger funding for state-owned media organisations, operational vehicles and hazard allowances for journalists covering high-risk assignments.

Another issue raised by the Journalists was the welfare of retired and elderly members of the profession.

The NUJ requested a dedicated welfare and support programme for retired and elderly Journalists in Ogun State, stressing the need to remember those who contributed to the development of journalism in the state.

The Union’s demands come against the backdrop of several projects it said it had undertaken at the NUJ Secretariat during the past three and a half years.

According to Olanrewaju, the Council has provided a Union bus, installed a 12KVA solar power system and solar streetlights, provided free Wi-Fi, refurbished the old Union bus and carried out repairs on damaged sections of the secretariat.

The NUJ chairman said those interventions demonstrated the Council’s commitment to improving the working environment for Journalists, but noted that more needed to be done to establish sustainable infrastructure for the profession.

He therefore called for broader collaboration and support towards achieving the Union’s media development agenda.

The Ogun NUJ also linked its demands to the historical status of the state as the cradle of journalism in Nigeria, arguing that the State’s rich Journalism heritage should be matched by modern infrastructure, professional development opportunities and improved welfare for media practitioners.

For the Journalists, the Friday engagement was therefore more than an encounter with a political aspirant. It became a platform to present a comprehensive agenda covering the working conditions, professional growth, safety, welfare and institutional development of the media in Ogun State.

As the State moves towards another election cycle, the Charter of Demands has placed media development and Journalists’ welfare among the issues presented for consideration by political stakeholders.

The NUJ said its expectations centre on creating an enabling environment where Journalists can perform their watchdog role, access public information and contribute effectively to good governance and democratic development.

Global Mirror News will continue to report developments around the NUJ’s media development agenda and its engagement with relevant stakeholders in Ogun State.