NUJ demands zero tarrif on newsprint, revival of moribund paper mills

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has requested the Federal Government to work towards total removal of tarrif on newsprint, saying newspaper and magazine publications should be treated as an educational venture which gives way for the media to exercise its constitutinal and civic rights.

Speaking through a communique issued and signed by the Vice President of the Union, Cosmas Oni and the Zonal Secretary, Bamigbola Gbolagunte, at the end Southwest Zonal Meeting held in Ado-Ekiti, NUJ appealed to the Federal Government to revive moribund paper mills in the country to reduce capital flights on newsprint imports, create wealth within the industry and offer employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

The NUJ made the passionate appeal to Federal Government to remove tarrif from newsprint and make newspaper production easier and lessen financial burdens of newspaper industries, having condemned the moribund status of paper mills such as Nigeria Paper Mills, Jebba in Kwara state; Iwopin Pulp and Paper Mills in Ogun state and Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company, Oku-Iboku in Akwa IBM state.

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Similarly, the South West Zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) urged the Security Network Agency, code-named Operation Amotekun to brace up on the issue of insecurity in the region in order to bring an end to insecurity, which is already ravaging the region.

The union while raising the alarm over the increasing cases of banditry and kidnapping in the region, therefore, urged the governors of the six states of the region to equip members of the Amotekun Corps for efficient service delivery.