From Moshood Karim
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State council has commended the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the commencement of rehabilitation work on the deplorable Benin-Sapele-Warri road which had hitherto caused avoidable deaths and unquantifiable man-hours commuters expend on the road while trying to get to their respective destinations.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Congress held on Wednesday, co-signed by the Edo State council Chairman, Comrade Festus Alenkhe , Secretary to the Union- Andy Egbon, the Union advised the contractors handling the job to use the opportunity of the dry season to speed up work on the project, while appealing to President Tinubu to give similar attention to other Federal roads in Edo State, including the Benin-Auchi-Okenne Road.
The Union thanked the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki for hosting journalists to an end of the year party at the NUJ Press Centre and the installation of four 5-HP capacity industrial air conditioners in the main Hall of the Union’s Secretariat less than one month after the promise was made.
On the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the State, the NUJ called on all politicians and political actors in the State to play politics according to the rules and refrain from unnecessarily heating up the polity while admonishing journalists to refrain from publishing inflammatory stories and urged them to guide against offering themselves to be used by politicians to settle their differences.
The Congress in session lauded the NUJ National Executive Council for upholding the motion moved by the Edo NUJ Chairman at the NEC meeting/Tax Conference held in Benin in November, 2022 calling for the appointment of only qualified journalists as media aides by politicians in positions of authority, a move that is already yielding positive results across the country.
The congress in session, however, expressed concerns over the rising cases of criminal activities on the roads around the NUJ Press Centre in Benin city and advised the public to be extra vigilant while passing through the area, especially in the evenings, while calling on the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to increase security surveillance in the axis.
A-3 man committee was setup to advise the council leadership on measures to institute a culture of seniority in the journalism profession as a way of addressing a lack of respect for senior journalists by their junior counterparts.
The Congress commended the Chairman of NUJ, Edo State council, Comrade Festus Alenkhe and members of his executive for their trail blazing leadership style which has made Edo state Council a reference point in the country.
The Congress appreciated the Environmental Rights Activist, Rev David Ugolor for instituting a cash award for Investigative Journalism and urged journalists to increase their interest in investigative reports.
The Communiqué committee had Alhaji Hameed Braimah as Chairman, Comrade Kingsley Abavo as Secretary
