South West NUJ pledges support to Isiguzo ...Kicks against attacks on journalists

Isiguzo 

Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) from the South West Zone B have congratulated the new President of the Union, Comrade Chris Isiguzo and other elected national officers at the recently conducted triennial congress at Abeokuta, pledging support to the new leadership.


In their communiqué after a meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State between November 8-10, 2018, and signed by Rotimi Ojomoyela (Chairman, Ekiti Council), Bola Ogunlayi (Secretary, Oyo Council) and Bola Bamigbola (Secretary, Osun Council), the Zone B NUJ members prayed God for unprecedented achievements in the union's history through the leadership of Comrade Isiguzo and other national officers.

Expressing worry over what it described as, inconsistencies in the directives coming from the national secretariat following the judgment of the Industrial Court on Ondo NUJ election, the Zone harped on the need for the National Secretariat to take into consideration Article 7, section 2, sub sec V, which states that 'Member who resort to legal action against the Union without exhausting all internal mechanism for resolving disputes shall automatically be suspended from the Union'.

 "To avoid another round of litigation that may arise from the forthcoming scheduled election of the NUJ Ondo State Council, the Constitution of the Union must be strictly followed", the communique read.

It urged the Union to expedite action on the report of the Committee set up on Aberan land, Lagos State with a view to assisting  the Council in resolving the matter amicably.

Continuing, the zone recommended the expedition of efforts to set up the Board of the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja, to ensure accreditation of all its courses in line with the global practice.

The communique frowned at the repeated attacks on Journalists whike performing their  legitimate dutues in  all parts of the Country, especially in Akure, Ondo State where Journalists were assaulted, harassed and intimidated during a sitting of the State House of Assembly  and demanded that the perpetrators of the dastardly acts be brought to book.

Admonishing the political class, the Zone stressed that "campaigns towards 2019 general elections across the country should be issue-based, and safety of journalists should be paramount to all stakeholders before, during and after the elections".