At the recent NEC meeting of NUJ in Ibadan, certain decisions critical to the safety of the nation were taken as BAYO AGBOOLA reports.
Take it or leave it, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) stands as a major stakeholder in the sustainance of peace and unity.
This was demonstrated in Ibadan during the just- concluded NUJ National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in which the union’s leadership from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) led by the national president, Dr Chris Isiguzo met between June 20 – 21 to deliberate on the way forward for the union and the country.
The NEC meeting though has come and gone, but stood out as it was the first of its kind in any of the six states in the South-west.
With members comprising national officers as well as chairmen and secretaries in the 36 states and the FCT respectively, it leaves no one in doubt about their commitment to the union for that Thursday and Friday engagement.
By the morning of Friday, June 21, the venue, Oyo NUJ Press Centre was filled with guests and members from across the country for the opening ceremony.
Governor Seyi Makinde who was represented by the state commissioner for works, Prof Daud Sangodoyin led the governor’s strong delegations to the opening ceremony.
Welcoming guests
The chairman, Oyo state Council of NUJ, Chief Ademola Babalola in his welcome address said, “We must adapt and evolve, embrace new technologies and platforms while simultaneously upholding the timeless values of our profession. In this era of rapid digital transformation, it is imperative that we equip ourselves with the necessary skills to navigate the complex landscape of modern journalism. We must embrace innovation, embrace diversity and embrace the power of story-telling to shape narratives and change lives. It is through these efforts that we will secure the sustainability and relevance of our profession for generations to come.
“I would like to specially extend a warm welcome to Chris Isiguzo, a distinguished leader and a true champion of journalism. Your tireless efforts in promoting the rights and welfare of journalists in Nigeria are truly commendable. I also want to express our deep appreciation to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde for the support over the years.”
Highlighting the role of media
The NUJ national president Isiguzo while welcoming Gov Makinde and other guests emphasises the roles of the media to the growth, stability and unity of the country. He specifically acknowledged the impacts of journalists as the Forth Estate of the Realm in shaping and sustaining the nation’s growing democracy, saying that journalists would not relent at putting leaders on their toes for the development of the country.
He then thanked Governor Makinde for his love for journalists in the state as well as the NUJ in general particularly for hosting the NEC meeting in Ibadan. This is also as he appreciated the governor’s efforts in infrastructural development, improvement of the state IGR, amongst others.
Our support for journalists unrelenting – Makinde
Governor Makinde while declaring the meeting open through his representative emphasized that his administration is committed to creating the enabling environment for journalists to operate without fear or hindrance. He noted that his administration would continue to support and partner with NUJ to ensure that journalism thrives in the state and Nigeria at large.
“Our gathering today is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of a free press in a democratic society. As a government, we recognize the critical role the media plays in our democracy and we are committed to creating an enabling environment for journalists to operate without fear or hindrance. In the words of Nelson Mandela, ‘A free press is the lifeblood of democracy.
“Our administration has been working tirelessly to improve the welfare and safety of our citizens and we believe that a free and independent press is essential to achieving this goal. We have made significant strides in Oyo state, including growing our economy from N2.75 trillion in 2019 to N4.05 trillion as of Q3 2022, increasing our Internally Generated Revenue by over 90% between 2019 and 2022, attracting multinational companies like Shell Nigeria Gas Limited into the state, construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges and junctions to improve traffic flow, building four modern bus terminals, establishing a computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre at Idi-Ape.”
The governor’s representative stressed further, “In the area of journalists’ welfare, we have provided financial support to NUJ during national and state functions, donated a brand new bus to the NUJ and His Excellency was recognized as the Most-Friendly Governor ever to the union by Oyo state NUJ in 2022. We are committed to serving the people of Oyo state and support NUJ members in their noble profession. I want to assure you that we will continue to support and partner with the NUJ to ensure that journalism thrives in our state and our country.”
After the opening ceremony, the NEC meeting kicked off with NUJ national president presiding to deliberate extensively on various issues bothering on moving the union, journalism profession and Nigeria as a country forwards after which the meeting reached several resolutions needed to fix and resolve most of the challenges facing the country especially in the areas of security among others. All were summarised in a 17-points communique issued at the end of the meeting and read to journalists by the national president, Dr Isiguzo.
An overview of the communique
Dr Isiguzo listed the resolutions as among others urging the governor of Adamawa state, Umaru Fintiri to sign into law the Media Bill passed by the state House of Assembly. It cautioned politicians to refrain from attacking journalists on essential duties during the upcoming governorship elections in Ondo and Edo states respectively. It frowned at the incessant and arbitrary arrests and detention of journalists in the line of duty by security personnel; therefore urged that such uncouth actions be stopped forthwith. The union also frowned at the lingering insecurity across the nation, especially kidnapping and violent crimes in the South-east, insurgency in the North-east, banditry in North-west, the rising militancy in the South-south as well kidnapping in the South-west and cattle rustling and attack on farmlands in the North-central by herders. It called on heads of security apparatuses to rise to the occasion and address the situation.
Others included expressing dismay at the increasing cost of living conditions particularly the prices of essential commodities which is becoming unbearable to Nigerians and called on the federal government to come up with immediate measures to ameliorate the sufferings faced by Nigerians. The NUJ expressed concerns at the delay in production at the Dangote Refinery which would have eased the present economic hardship in the country Frowning at the incessant vandalisation of power installations supplying electricity to some states of the North-east and other parts of the country, it calls on the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ministry of Power to immediately restore electricity supply to the affected states. That’s not all, it called on the federal and state governments to urgently intervene on the poor state of roads in the country especially the Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency to urgently proffer measures to ease the sufferings of motorists.
Part of the resolutiins also include an appeal for consideration from the federal government to include the South-east among the zones captured in the coastal highway project as no zone along the coastal line should be sidelined. It requested communities in the flood prone zones to adhere strictly to the early warnings by NIMET and Federal Ministry of Environment to avoid regrets occasioned by flood disaster while calling on the government to address the perennial flooding that affects most parts of the country.
The union appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolve the minimum wage saga and ASUU pending issues with FG in the interest of education and Nigerian students.
Finally, it appealed to heads of security agencies to support orphans and widows of deceased security personnel that paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty while asking the government to take urgent steps to regulate the activities of illegal mining in the country to avert further disasters.
Though the Ibadan NUJ NEC meeting has come and gone, yet its good memory would linger for a long time.
