
Some newspaper vendors have lamented that they have been thrown out of jobs and are looking for other means of survival, all thanks to online media. Newspaper vendors in Bauchi say they are facing hard times following a drop in sales of newspapers as a result of the advent of online publications.
Some of them, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday said that they were almost thrown out of the job as most of them had to look for other means of sustaining themselves and their families.
One of them, Sani Ismaeel, lamented the development, saying he had been reflecting with nostalgia, the ‘good old days’ when they were in ‘real business’.
“This has adversely affected the sales of newspapers, leaving us helpless; in those years, I make at least N30, 000 daily, now I hardly make N3000 a day.
“This is affecting me economically; I cannot meet up with my family obligations, which are essential,”
Another Vendor, Rilwanu Ubale, said prominent customers noted for buying newspapers, and who even booked for same in advance in those days, no longer do same.
“My means of livelihood is at stake; I find it difficult to cater for my family now,”
Musa Ahmed, a Vendor, told us that he had been selling newspapers in Bauchi for 15 years but never had it bad until the advent of online papers.
“It is the only means for securing the basic necessities for the family; we are going through hell now and I am in a dilemma,”
Babayo Adamu, another vendor, explained that the drop in the sales of the newspaper would sooner than later sweep all of them out of job.
Abdullahi Ahmed, a media practitioner, said that the economic situation in the country, coupled with the emergence of the new media, is making the print media shrink, both in number and circulation.
A newspaper reader, Bulus Kazhi, said online papers were making headway.
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“The news is broken as it is happening, whereas, the mainstream newspapers have to wait to report it the following day, and the reader may not want to read stories that happened a day before.
“Some print media even quote online sources in their stories; by the time the print goes to press, more news is breaking,”
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