Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is not comfortable with the porous nature of the journalism profession, even as he agreed that workers generally, are being paid very low salaries.
He noted that the entry point of would-be professionals is so open that anybody could start practicing it, especially in this era of social media where just anybody that can post anything sees himself or herself as journalist.
Professor Osinbajo, who declared open, a day-seminar of the State House Press Corps (SHPC), at the Presidential Villa today, Monday, said many employers have taken advantage of such porous nature of the profession by either paying the reporters very low salaries or not paying at all.
Taking a look at the general trend in the nation’s employment market, the Vice President said that salaries, even from the President down, are too low.
“Generally speaking, people are poorly paid, so there is need to look at why people are poorly paid. Public sector earning must be looked at and determined what should be paid and what is right for people to earn,” he said.
The vice president, who insisted that all employers must be compelled to key into the contributory pension scheme, also wanted to see a situation where whatever minimum wage that is finally arrived at, is implemented by both public and private sectors.
The Vice President spoke against the background of the theme of the seminar: “Journalists and Retirement Plan.”
The topic was treated by a billionaire industrialist and philanthropist, Tony Elimelu with the Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Umar Al-Makura as chairman of the occasion.
Also present were the ministers of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina; Permanent Secretary in Aso Villa (State House), Jalal Arabi; Chief Executive Officer of Phase3 Telecom, Stanley Jegede, spokesman of the Federal Inland Revenu Service (FIRS), Wahab Gbadamosi, among others.[myad]
