New Rivers NUJ Exco Commits To Professionalism, Activism

A new executive committee of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) last Friday emerged with a tacit promise to revive the union, inspire and entrench activism and professionalism in the practice of journalism in the state.
The new Chairman of the state council of the union, Ayo Tamuno Omoni, who made the commitment in his post-election speech at the NULGE Consulate, Port Harcourt, said that his executive would leave no stone unturned in efforts to carry every member along irrespective of their political leaning so as to rejuvenate the union, and take it to the next level.
While assuring an open-door, people-driven policy and an all-inclusive leadership, the chairman stressed that there was no loser in the election, but that everyone who contested was a winner, because according to him, the NUJ was one family.
Ayo Tamuno regretted the bad image that quackery and poor welfare conditions have unleashed on journalism practice in the state, and promised to tackle the challenges frontally, with the support and cooperation of the managements of media organisations in the state.
He lauded the national officers who conducted the election for ensuring peaceful, free and fair process, and also thanked members who turned out in their numbers to vote for their orderly conduct, just as he praised the team of security personnel for working round the clock to ensure there was no breach of the peace during and after the elections.
In their separate remarks, the South-South Zonal President and Secretary, Seyeifa Uzaka and Edward Ogude, respectively, praised the peaceful conduct of members during the elections, and charged them to continue to work as a team to move the union forward.
The National Secretary of the union, Malam Shuaibu Leman, who inaugurated the new executive, expressed satisfaction with the non-violent conduct of members during the elections, and promised the national secretariat’s readiness to partner with the state council to train and retrain journalists to discharge their professional duties effectively, and contribute to sustainable development and good governance in Nigeria.
Represented by James Uwem, the national secretary urged journalists in the state to key into the programmes and policy direction of the national secretariat, and invited delegates from the state to participate actively in the national elections of the union in Abuja between July 23 and 25, 2015.
The new executive of the union was elected to run the affairs of the state council of NUJ for the next three years.
At the end of the keenly contested election, Ayo Tamuno Omoni scored 147 votes to emerge chairman, defeating the former state secretary of the union, Stanley Job Stanley who garnered 80 votes and Imikubi Lilybox of Radio Rivers, who polled 52 votes.
Uche Agbam, the former treasurer of the state council, polled 117 votes to be elected vice chairman, after beating Udede Jim-Opiki of Independent Monitor who scored 76 votes and Clarice Azuatalam of Federated Correspondent Chapel and former ex-officio member of the state council, who got 85 votes.
Similarly, Soibi Max-Alalibo polled 145 votes to emerge as state secretary of the union, defeating Tonye Orabere, who scored 130 votes. Both contestants are of The Tide Chapel.
Priscilla Okere of Ministry of Information Chapel, treasurer; Anayo Onukwugha of Federated Correspondents Chapel, assistant secretary; Barth Ndubuwah, also of Federated Correspondent Chapel, financial secretary; and Lekia Anya of Radio Rivers Chapel, auditor; had earlier been returned unopposed.
It would be recalled that the election, which was initially scheduled to hold May 21, 2015, had to be postponed due to protest by some members over the disqualification of a chairmanship candidate from Radio Rivers, Omah Obed, for failure to meet constitutional requirement of mandatory seven years of practice.