THE Gombe State Government has presented N14m to the families of seven journalists who died in a road crash in the state.
News Point Nigeria reports that the journalists died on Monday while returning from a colleague’s wedding in Kaltungo Local Government Area.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Abubakar Njodi, presented N2m to each of the affected families in Gombe on Friday.
Njodi said the donation was a token to assist the bereaved families and help with burial expenses, noting that the accident was of grave concern to the state government.
He described the loss as huge, given the number of journalists involved in a single crash, and acknowledged their contributions to the development of Gombe State.
He said, “NTA, the government is particularly with you at this trying moment.
“We know they were very close to us, but we couldn’t have been closer to them than you.
“When the accident happened, I was so moved, I have never been so moved, so worried about an incident like that.
“Take this from us that these are our colleagues on a daily basis; many of them come here to see us or take some news.
“We cannot pay for any life lost. Gov Yahaya has directed that we should give the family this token, which is burial expenses.”
Earlier, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Alhassan Yahya, thanked the state government for its support since the incident.
Yahya recalled similar incidents in which journalists lost their lives in road crashes in Plateau, Akwa Ibom and Adamawa states, stressing the need for improved welfare and insurance coverage for journalists.
He disclosed that the union would launch a new insurance scheme by March to enhance the health and well-being of practising journalists nationwide.
Also speaking, the General Manager of the Nigerian Television Authority in Gombe, Abubakar Adamu, said he was devastated by the incident and commended the state government for standing by the families of the deceased.
He prayed for God’s comfort for the bereaved families.