Initiative aims to improve healthcare access and welfare for media professionals in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has unveiled a health insurance scheme designed to improve access to healthcare services for journalists working in Abuja.
The programme, launched at the NUJ FCT Council headquarters over the weekend, is part of broader efforts to strengthen the welfare of media professionals who often face health risks in the line of duty.
Speaking at the event, NUJ President Alhassan Yahaya described the scheme as a significant step toward addressing longstanding welfare challenges affecting journalists across the country.
He explained that the initiative fulfils a key promise made during his campaign to improve the wellbeing of journalists nationwide.
According to Yahaya, access to health insurance among Nigerian journalists remains extremely low, with less than one percent currently covered under any form of health insurance plan.
“Insurance is critical to our job. Through health insurance, we will be able to reduce maternal deaths and significantly cut out-of-pocket medical expenses by up to 95 per cent,” he said.
Yahaya added that expanding health coverage for journalists would also support Nigeria’s broader goal of achieving universal health coverage, noting that fewer than 20 million Nigerians are currently enrolled in any health insurance scheme.
He commended the leadership of the NUJ FCT Council for championing the initiative and urged journalists to take advantage of the programme by enrolling themselves and their families.
Also speaking at the launch, the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Adedolapo Fasawe, stressed that access to healthcare should be considered a basic necessity rather than a luxury.
She noted that health insurance promotes preventive healthcare by allowing individuals to detect and treat illnesses early, thereby reducing the risk of severe medical complications.
Fasawe revealed that the FCT Administration had already facilitated health insurance coverage for 480 journalists out of the roughly 800 registered members of the NUJ in the territory.
“As of today, about 65 per cent of journalists in the FCT are covered under the scheme, and it is our goal that by next month, 100 per cent of them will be enrolled,” she said.
She further disclosed that the FCT Administration has introduced free healthcare services for pregnant and vulnerable women in the territory, including antenatal care, delivery services, and cesarean sections.
Earlier, Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Grace Ike, described the launch of the scheme as a historic development for journalists in the territory.
According to her, it marks the first time in the council’s 41-year history that a dedicated health insurance programme has been introduced specifically for journalists.
Ike noted that journalists often act as frontline responders when covering national developments and therefore deserve adequate healthcare protection.
She also commended the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Information, Media and Publicity, Akin Rotimi Jr., the FCT Health Secretariat, and other stakeholders for supporting the programme.
