RIVPA: A House Divided Against Itself?

These are not the
best of times for the Rivers State Independent Publishers Association (RIVPA). The crisis that has been rocking the association for sometime now got to its peak last week when six notable publishers withdrew their membership from the fold of the association. The six notable publishers which include, Eddie Williams of Envoy newspaper, Solomon Parakom of Niger Delta, Today Newspaper, Vincent Chukwu of Mandate Quest Newspaper, Loveday Ihua of Sunrise Newspaper, Prince Ogbonna Nwuke of Port Harcourt Telegraph newspaper and Sir Ngo Martyns Yellowe of Today Top News Newspaper, have already registered a new association with the name, Association of Rivers Publishers.
Although a release earlier issued to this effect said that reasons for the withdrawal were strictly personal, investigation revealed that the action was not unconnected with alleged complaints of fraud associated with the last RIVPA election which threw up a leadership that was allegedly inefficient in the realisation of the goal of the association.
The Tide also learnt that RIVPA, since its inception in 2003, was only interested in the welfare of the publishers while the welfare of reporters working for the various organisations under the association was being compromised.
According to a source, reporters working for these publishers were asked to fend for themselves without receiving salaries or stipends from their publishers. This, according to sources, has promoted sharp practices and junk journalism among  reporters working for local publications in Rivers State.
It was also learnt that the association since 2003 had no secretariat and no bank account. Chairman of the newly formed Association of Rivers Publishers, Mr. Eddie Williams, who confirmed the allegations in an interview with The Tide said that RIVPA lacks the capacity to realise the vision of its founding fathers.
He said that because of the failure by RIVPA to realise the desired set goals, members of the new association decided to embark on an intensive consultation with a view to coming up with ideals that would promote professionalism in journalism industry.
Mr. Eddie Williams said that the Association of Rivers Publishers was set out to tap into the intellectual sector of Rivers State with a view to strengthening the practice of journalism among the local media organisations.
According to him, following the proliferation of the electronic media in the State, there is now a lacuna as far as addressing the peculiar challenges of Rivers State is concerned, stressing that the new association is poised to fill the void.
The Envoy Newspaper publisher listed some programmes earmarked to realise his association’s goals to include, boosting capacity development programme for local journalists, addressing the welfare of local journalists through the payment of allowances and stipends and setting up committee that will make regular inputs to policies and programmes of the Rivers State Government.
Corroborating Eddie Williams’ view, the pioneer secretary of RIVPA, Mr. Solomon Parakom, said that the decision to leave the association was taken based on signs that there would be no end in sight to the rot that has allegedly dogged RIVPA for the past 11 years.
Mr. Parakom said that those that would be admitted into the new association must be functional publishers of Rivers extraction or those that have their publications in Rivers State.
In his reactions, the chairman of Rivers State Independent Publishers Association (RIVPA), Mr. Vimkpa Alikor, dismissed the claim that the election that brought him and other members of the executive was fraudulent.
“The election was well supervised by NUJ including your own organisation, The Tide. Twenty-eight publishers of a participated,” he said.
Mr. Alikor, who is the publisher of Treasure Base Newspaper also denied the allegation that the association has no functional secretariat and a bank account, stating that RIVPA was not ready to fight anybody on the pages of newspapers, as its focal point is the Rivers citizens.
Mr. Alikor, however, gave an indication of a possible reconciliation with the aggrieved members of RIVPA. According to him, while RIVPA would continue to remain focused, a reconciliation committee would be set up to bring back the aggrieved members to its fold.
The RIVPA chairman promised that the association would put in place an enabling environment for the practice of journalism in the state, while it also plans to move round the 23 local government areas to sensitise Rivers youths to take reading seriously.
Also reacting to the situation, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Opaka Dokubo, denied that the election that brought the new RIVPA executive was rigged, stressing that NUJ witnessed the election. Mr Dokubo said that NUJ will not take side  with the two parties as they are all both business parties.
A cross section of Rivers journalists who spoke on the issue said that the resignation of the six publishers, some of who are renowned journalists in Rivers State, was a signal that RIVPA has collapsed in the state.

Cross section of journalist at the interaction session at Government House, Port Harcourt, with the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, last Monday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga