After several postponements, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, last Wednesday, January 19, 2022, elected new officers to pilot the affairs of the union for the next three years. The election, initially rescheduled for August 12, last year, was put off about six times following altercations emanating from the delegates’ list and quite a few other matters between the two opposing camps and their supporters.
It was indeed an exhibition of shame and humiliation as the 7th Triennial Congress of the Rivers State Council of the NUJ resulted in tragic disagreements among the contestants, ending in chaos and fisticuffs. Armed police teams were required to chase out journalists from their state secretariat when the conflicts between the candidates and their adherents thwarted attempts to conduct the polls. Amazingly, those in the pen profession who chastise politicians for failed elections were unable to organise ballot for themselves.
Finally, the poll was postponed indefinitely as journalists were initially denied the use of the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre for a few months. However, meetings at the request of the state Information and Communications Commissioner, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, were held where a truce was reached with the major warring factions. The “warlords” decided to go down in their differences and agreed to hold the elections.
Recall that the battle of August 12 began when the zonal national vice-president of the time, Edward Ogude, decided to conduct the election as part of the formalities of the triennial congress without National Secretariat approval. Also, some members of the union in the hall promptly questioned the credibility of the list of voters about to be used to conduct the election because the credentials’ committee failed to display the voter’s list for claims and objections.
After the clash of August 12, a new electoral date of January 13, 2022 was approved by the National Secretariat. However, the election saw a new change in date as a result of objections to the voter’s list. January 18 was finally approved after concerns arising from the voter’s register were resolved. The election began, but because of differences in the ballots, it was cancelled and postponed until the following day.
As watchdogs of society and the conscience of the nation, journalists should be blameless in their conduct. They should be obligated to society and exhibit high ethical standards in all ramifications. In a disconcerting way, what happened to the gentlemen of the press, particularly on August 12, at the NUJ office in Rivers State, was a radical departure from these standards. It was the last straw of indecency.
However, and most favourably, stability and cohesion were eventually restored within the union, which saw the cordial conduct of the recent polls. Specifically, we thank Nsirim for his inexplicable support that enabled a breakthrough in the whole peace process. A former Information Commissioner, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke and the union’s Committee of Elders are also commended for their tireless efforts to negotiate peace.
With the election now over, there is a need to quickly put the outcome behind and hit the ground running. It is essential that the new State Council Executive headed by the Chairman, Stanley Job Stanley, builds on the resuscitated love, unity, and camaraderie among journalists in the state to move the union forward. He must begin a gesture of reconciliation to heal the deep wounds inflicted upon the minds of members and lead an inclusive administration.
Numerous issues bordering on constitutionality, membership, adherence to the Code of Ethics, and seniority in the profession, require the urgent attention of the State Council. Firstly, and henceforth, all members of the new executive must ensure that their actions and decisions comply with the provisions of the Constitution and Code of Conduct of the union. We must make sure they lead by example. Secondly, they must conduct themselves peacefully and respectably to achieve harmony and stability in the union.
The unwarranted confusion that engulfed the Rivers NUJ would have been prevented if journalists were competent in the provisions of their Constitution relating to the union’s elections. Unfortunately, most journalists do not have a copy of the very important NUJ grundnorm and have been practising without adequate knowledge of the rules. It is an invitation to crisis. This is an unacceptable trend that needs to be reversed.
Again, the authentication of union’s membership remains a hot issue, waiting to be addressed. Many people whose membership is questionable are often allowed to vote during elections, encouraging quackery. The acquisition of the requisite academic qualifications and the payment of professional dues or check-off are obligatory for membership. The Constitution says defaulters should lose their rights and privileges, or at best be reduced to nominal membership. The new executive would, therefore, have to disinfect the union by enforcing that provision of the union’s decalogue.
Unlike the legal profession where classification is guaranteed, the NUJ has become a union where seniority, both in age and in practice, is observed in the breach. There is no respect for the senior partners by their subordinates, a situation which has led to superiors withdrawing from union activities. Every professional organisation needs the guidance and wise counsel of its senior members and the NUJ cannot be an exception. The new state leadership and the national body must take action accordingly.
Having assumed office, Stanley and his executive must restore the integrity of the Rivers State Council of the NUJ by raising the bar of trust and confidence of the members and the public. They must distance themselves from fraud and embezzlement, the scourge of most previous administrations, which then brought them to their knees. Instead, they need to provide responsive and accountable leadership, as befits a union that is highly regarded as the mirror of society.
We need to realise that the NUJ is a professional body, not a political party with no threshold to a desperate thirst for power. Union representatives are elected periodically to promote the journalism course and, by extension, society. Unfortunately, members of the press seem to be tainted by the “stomach infrastructure virus” as an average Nigerian politician who sees elected office as a gold mine. This grotesque tendency is mainly responsible for the crises observed during NUJ elections across the country. This must stop if the union must move forward!