NCAC produces 8,000 face masks for journalists

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The National Council for Arts and Culture(NCAC ) recently commenced the distribution of over 8,000 face marks to newsrooms across the country to enhance the protection of journalists in the battle against COVID-19.
Journalists in Abuja would be the first beneficiaries, their contemporaries in Lagos and other parts of the country would get theirs immediately.
The NCAC suggested that the government should publish a national document on COVID-19 at the end of its victory over the pandemic.
The Director-General of NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, stated this while giving out the products in Abuja.
He said the parastatal had produced over 13 drums of hand sanitisers to assist practising journalists and their media organisations as they embark on their duties, while more were still being produced.
“It is my opinion that a national document on COVID-19 be published at the end of our victory over this pandemic. This will be a compendium on how the disease came to Nigeria and how it was fought and defeated,” he stated.
According to him, journalists have always been endangered species, either during war or emergency situations like the coronavirus pandemic.
He said, “This is a period of national emergency and we must all work together to eradicate this deadly virus. We thank the press for rising to the occasion by ensuring the timely and effective dissemination of information about the COVID-19 pandemic. We are calling on the media not to rest on their laurel in sensitising the masses and mobilising efforts and resources towards eradicating it.
“We have mass produced face masks, sanitisers, information manual and jotters for distribution to media houses and cultural stakeholders. We have produced over 8,000 face marks while over 30 tailors have been recruited to support our efforts within 10 days.