The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ have appealed to the Kogi state government to pay the salary arrears being owed a deceased journalist with the State owned Graphic Newspaper.
The appeal was made by Alhaji Adeiza Momoh-Jimoh, the Chairman of the Kogi Council of the NUJ on Wednesday on behalf of the deceased journalist Nathaniel Drisu who was being owed backlog of salaries at the time of his death.
The NUJ told the state government during the burial of the deceased journalist that payment of the salaries and allowances owed the late state civil servant will go a long way to ameliorate the hardships experienced by the immediate family.
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The deceased journalist, Nathaniel Drisu, a graduate of Literature from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria died on the 10th of August, is survived by an aged mother, wife and three children.
“My appeal today, is that Kogi State Government should, as a matter of urgency, pay the accumulated salaries owed Mr. Drisu to the immediate family to cushion the effects of this sudden and painful death,” Momoh-Jimoh said.
The NUJ chairman then went ahead to admonish working journalists in Kogi state as well as friends of the deceased not to abandon the family at its time of need as a demonstration of love for the fallen colleague.
Momoh-Jimoh described the death of the Journalist as a big blow to the journalism profession in Kogi state.
He eulogized the deceased as gentle, trustworthy and an unassuming professional who brought his wealth of experience to bear on his profession.
During the funeral service, the officiating Minister, Rev. Fr Michael Osannaiye, Assistant Parish Priest, St. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel Catholic Church, Gadumo-Lokoja, reiterated the need for Christian faithfuls to be prepared to meet their maker at any time by living righteously.
The Priest told the congregation that nobody knew when death would strike but emphasised that Jesus Christ remained the hope of all believers.
He said the world is as a marketplace and everything made of flesh will return to dust; death is inevitable he admonished the congregation.