The Niger State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has approved the creation of a Federated Online Chapel to bring digital media practitioners into the union's structure. The move, announced on Tuesday in Minna, aims to unify online journalists under the NUJ's umbrella for better representation and welfare. Five other chapels were also approved during the council's meeting, expanding the union's reach across local government areas in the state. The online chapel will serve as a formal platform for journalists working with digital outlets, who have previously operated without structured union representation in the state.
Chairman of the Niger State NUJ Council, Bala Kaba, stated, "The approval of the online chapel is a step towards ensuring inclusiveness and relevance in the evolving media landscape." He added that digital journalists now constitute a significant part of the profession and deserve the same rights and protections as their traditional media counterparts. The council also inaugurated executives for the newly approved chapels, urging them to promote ethical journalism and defend press freedom.
Recognising digital journalists through a formal chapel acknowledges a shift that has long existed in practice but not in structure. Bala Kaba's move to integrate online practitioners reflects the reality that news consumption in Nigeria is increasingly platform-agnostic. For journalists, this means potential access to union benefits and collective bargaining, even without a physical newsroom. Whether this translates to tangible support depends on how actively the chapel is resourced and represented.
