The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) is studying its insurance policy with a view to reactivating the process and making it more useful to its members.
The National President of NUJ, Mr Chris Isiguzo disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Cross River.
Isiguzo noted that the policy, which was initiated by the former President of the union, Mr Garba Mohammed, during his tenure, was laudable, though many Journalists did not key into it.
Isiguzo, who was in Cross River for the burial of late Ndoma Akpet, former state Chairman of the union, said his administration planned to reactivate the process with the inclusion of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
“Mohammed initiated policy and a lot of members have benefited from it actually, but when he left office, because of the way we handle our things, it was not sustained.
“But now we want to reactivate it and even include NHIS because it is not just when somebody dies that he or she will benefit.
“But another thing is that most of our colleagues didn’t even key into the programme, they waited for state governments to enroll them; but this is something that is personal,” he said.
When reminded that the late former chairman enrolled for the insurance scheme, he promised to cross-check his records for confirmation.
“It is good for reminding me, I will check my records, but what we don’t know is, whether he sustained it or he just paid for one year and abandoned it.
“You know insurance policy is such that, when you do not sustain it, it is as good as you did not do it at all.
“If he sustained it, I will see what I can do but if he did not, there is absolutely nothing we can do,” he said.
He, however, urged the family and members of the state council to emulate the lifestyle of the late member which he described as `humility and sincerity’.
