An Abuja based Non Governmental Organisation, the Society for Rule of Law in Nigeria (SRLN), has raised concern over the treatment of workers, especially Editorial Staff of Sahara Reporters, like slaves, earning paltry sum of money per story published without employment letters.
The group, which accused the owner of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, of living large while underpaying his workers, added that editorial staff of Sowore's Sahara Reporters do not have any letter of employment stating their conditions of service and entitlements.
Rising from its meeting in Abuja on Sunday, the SRLN lamented in a statement by its Coordinator, Dr Chima Ubeku, that reporters who daily risk their lives to report stories for Sahara Reporters are paid peanuts while Sowore is paying over N200 million as school fees for one of his children per annum.
It said it was even more worrisome that Sowore, owner of the online media platform has been everywhere, agitating that policemen should not earn less than ₦500,000 per month. Meanwhile, his own editorial staff are not paid any salary.
The SRLN described as inhumane, a situation where those working for Sowore are not formally and properly employed and are being paid per story, without any fixed monthly remuneration.
It is sad that Sowore, who claimed to be a human rights activist is contravening the Labour Act, 2004, which is the principal legislation governing employment relation in Nigeria.
The SRLN called on the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) to intervene and save journalists working in Sahara Reporters from slavery they are being subjected to by Sowore.
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