RismadarVoice Reporters, February 9, 2026
North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has donated professional media equipment worth millions of naira to journalists who lost their work tools in an accident while inspecting NEDC projects in Bauchi State.
The presentation took place on Monday at the commission’s office in Gombe State.
No fewer than 13 journalists reportedly sustained injuries and had their media equipment destroyed in the accident, which occurred during an official project inspection tour involving NEDC officials.
Items donated included Canon and Sony video cameras, tripods, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, iPhones, and other essential media tools damaged in the incident.
Presenting the items, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari-Ahmadu, commended the commission for what he described as a timely and thoughtful intervention.
“This gesture is not only timely but also reassuring. It shows that the Federal Government values the welfare of journalists who put themselves at risk to promote transparency and accountability, especially in reporting development projects,” Maigari-Ahmadu said.
He noted that journalists remained critical partners in advancing the Federal Government’s development initiatives across the North-East region.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Mohammed Goni-Alkali, said the donation was aimed at enabling the affected journalists to resume work after their recovery.
“These journalists were on official duty, carrying out their professional responsibility of assessing and reporting NEDC projects when the unfortunate incident occurred,” he said.
“As a commission, we consider it a moral responsibility to support them and ensure they are not further disadvantaged.”
Also speaking, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahya, described the commission’s response as commendable, noting that the NEDC had remained supportive from the moment the accident occurred.
“The NEDC has shown uncommon concern, from ensuring medical care to now replacing the tools of work destroyed in the accident. This is a clear demonstration of institutional responsibility,” Yahya said.
While assuring the union’s readiness to partner with the commission in projecting its activities across the region, he appealed to the NEDC to consider enrolling practising journalists in the NUJ Life Premium Insurance Scheme to further strengthen welfare support for media professionals.
