Enugu state council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ) Saturday, celebrated the homecoming of the immediate past national president of the union, Comrade Dr Chris Isiguzo, who was a former Correspondent of ThisDay Newspapers and a member of the Correspondents chapel, Enugu state council ..
Isiguzo, was also a former Vice President of NUJ , Zone C, before taking up the exalted position of the national president at the NUJ national secretariat ,Abuja for Six years, serving two tenures.
The Union also inaugurated the newly elected Executives of the State council led by Comrade Obinna Ogbuka.
Pix: Comrade Dr Chris Isiguzo
Speaking with newsmen at the event held at the RT. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi NUJ press center, Enugu, Dr. Isiguzo highlighted some of his administration ‘s achievements which cut across registration of members, building of the NUJ website, restoration of peace in state councils, building of cordial relationship between the NUJ and state governments, training, payment of staff among others.
He said the NUJ has a voice now unlike before. . Before now they concessioned printing of their identity cards and an outsider had to tell them who their members were .
Pix: NUJ leaders and some NAWOJ members
He also spoke about the NUJ’s website which before now was attached to someone ‘s business and when he came up as the national president they had to start their own website and started printing their own Identity card. He added that his administration came up with a customised register and that enabled the union to know her members and checkmate electoral malpractices, where none members were brought in to vote during NUJ elections.
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Dr Isiguzo disclosed that nothing was given to him as an asset when he assumed office but his administration worked and left office without being indebted. The former NUJ national president said all his achievements would be sustained because the current National president Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, was his vice and he knew much about their programmes and he continued with them, because they believed in ” continuity” and with continuity, their achievements would be sustained..
He said the national president , Comrade Yahaya was the first Journalist from the North East to become an NyuJ national president, like himself, who was also the first journalist from the South East to assume the position of the national president since the Inception of the NUJ. Dr Isiguzo said Yahaya recorded 77 .7 ,% of NUJ election because he has served in different capacities, from Zonal secretary to Zonal vice President, from there to National vice president and now NUJ national president.
: Pix: Comrade Lawrence Njoku
According to him, nothing was given to him as an asset when he assumed office and journalists were not having cordial relationship with some governors, that , he said they corrected. He said they had to build a cordial relationship with governors and enjoyed that ,which was not like that before.
Isiguzo also spoke about some people who formed what he called ” clubs” within the NUJ. He decried what he described as “clubs in the union for instance,” The guild of editors “and others which sprang up to take over the union, saying the club is not NUJ
In his welcome address, the state council Chairman, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, expressed joy welcoming the immediate past national president, Dr. Chris Isiguzo. He said :
“Today was set aside to welcome home our leader who had shown us the way and that way is the way to go, Comrade Dr Chris Isiguzo , who is Enugu state council homeboy. He had been around with us as a two term Vice President, Zone C, he is still member of the Correspondents chapel here .
“Thank you for being part of this event, the beginning of this journey to reposition the NUJ in Enugu state”, he said. Comrade Ogbuka appealed to stakeholders, the government, well spirited individuals, for support , noting that “the NUJ is facing a lot of challenges . I want to say this, because of the advent of technology, anybody that has Smart phone now, claims to be a journalist, making our job very difficult. In fact , they are giving us bad name because they are not trained and they are practicing.
“So, I want to say today that those fake news you are seeing or you are hearing they are not from Journalists. So today, we gathered here to begin a new phase of the NUJ in Enugu. I want to assure the national president and our leaders today, that we will do our best to reposition the NUJ in the state
“We will do our best. We will contribute our quota, especially now that we have an innovative and disruptive governor. The journalists in Enugu were striving seriously to to be disruptive inorder to cover all the good works of Governor Peter Mbah in transforming the state and the NUJ under our watch will rise to that challenge.,” he said.
The chairman of the occasion and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu state on External Relations, Mazi Uche Anichukwu in a speech with newsmen , spoke on good governance and vote buying. He cautioned against vote buying and selling, saying, ” if you want good governance , go for good governance. If you want to sell your vote, you will end up like Esau who sold his birthright.It has never been quite well with him.
“So, anytime anybody is selling his or her vote ,the person should bear in mind that he is selling his conscience or her conscience. He is selling his future, his or her destiny, or posterity. It’s garbage in, garbage out,” he said.
The governor ‘s media aide continued, “as you make your bed so, you lie on it. What will be the role of journalists primarily is to conscientious our people, educate them, pick their microphones, pick their pens, pick their cameras, pick their tablets to begin to write, to educate our people, to begin to educate them, look, don’t sell your vote,”he warned .
“If you sell your vote you have already given away your next four years and beyond. Look at what governor Mbah is doing Talk about the electricity sector, talk about the water sector, talk about security, talk about agriculture, talk about education, talk about health , talk about reviving moribund assets, look at what he is doing. You will see someone who not only came with elaborate vision , but who also came with a whole idea and total commitment to serving the people. This is a government where you get contract awarded to you without knowing anybody and without anybody asking you for a dime,” he said.
Anichukwu went further to say, “When you are with the right person you will know.Tnis year Enugu state is doing 86% capital expenditure and 14%, current expenditure. Look at how he had plugged all the revenue loopholes in the revenue generation ecosystem and look at how he skyrocketed the state’s revenue from about twenty something billion niara to almost two hundred billion niara. How do you explain that? It’s dedication, it’s commitment. He hasn’t come to steal. So, I believe come 2027 Enugu people are going to reward him “, Anichukwu said.
Goodwill messages were presented by the National president of the NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, the senator representing Enugu west senatorial zone, Distinguished Senator Osita Ngwu, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Luke Mgbo, the Zonal Director of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Ikechukwu Okere, among others
In a vote of thanks ,the chairman of the inauguration / homecoming planing committee, and chairman of Correspondents chapel, Comrade Lawrence Njoku, thanked God for a successful event. He also thanked all who supported the committee in organising the event as well as those who graced the occasion, among who were the traditional rulers of Eden Ani, HRM Igwe Samuel Asadu, the national president of NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, the Deputy national president, Comrade Dr Abimbola Oyetunde, Vice President,Zone C, Comrade Ezima Adiukwu, the Commissioner for Information,Enugu state,Dr. Malachy Agbo, South East NUJ state councils’chairmen among others.
Highlights of the event was the formal inauguration of the Executives by the NUJ Vice president,Zone C, Comrade Adiukwu
and presentation of gift to Dr Isiguzo.
The new Executives are Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, chairman, Comrade Chinedu Adonu, Vice chairman, Comrade Sullieman Onyeama Junior, Secretary, Comrade Fred Nnaji , Assistant secretary,Comrade Florence Ani,Internal Auditor, Comrade Sandra Ukeje- Ahuekwe, Financial secretary and Comrade Stephanie Udeh, treasurer.
The event was also attended by family members and friends of the new Executives.
Author: Maureen Ikpeama