By Ayo Bada
Senior Correspondent
All efforts should be made by the federal government to resolve the conflicts between Fulani herdsmen and farmers before the situation spirals into more bloodshed.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) made the plea at its meeting in Lagos, where it also made several suggestions both to facilitate the work of journalists and help build the nation.
Lagos as host
When the Lagos NUJ chaired by ‘Deji Elumoye decided to host the first National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of 2016 of the national body, little did the members know that the Council would live up to the state’s pay off line of ‘Centre for Excellence’.
The decision to host the NEC meeting in Lagos, the first of the quarterly meetings of the NUJ in 2016, was helped by the fact that NUJ National President, Abdulwaheed Odusile, is a member of the Lagos NUJ.
Delegates and dignitaries
Prior to the arrival of the 36 state NUJ delegates and national officers, Elumoye and his executives, including some members of the State Executive Committee (SEC), visited the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, and invited him to the meeting.
On the day of arrival for the NEC meeting, members of the NUJ Central Working Committee (CWC) and chairmen and secretaries of the various Councils converged on the Ladi Lawal Press Centre of the Lagos NUJ Council in Ikeja.
The delegates were given a warm welcome and treated to the best of food and drink plus music. That saw most of them wining and dining into the late hours before they left off to the five-star hotels booked for them.
The next day, delegates started arriving the venue of the NEC meeting, the Combo Hall of the Lagos Television, for a lecture entitled “Journalists as agents of change” delivered by veteran journalist, Richard Akinnola.
Chairman of the day, former Ogun State Governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olusegun Osoba, and Akiolu were among the early arrivals.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was represented by his Information and Strategy Commissioner, Steve Ayorinde.
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Marshal, Opeyemi Boboye, was also on hand to speak on road safety, alongside Lagos Television General Manager, Deji Balogun, and other dignitaries.
Professional ethics
In his welcome address, Elumoye urged NUJ members to continue to foster peace, unity, and love among themselves and also to keep up the ethics of the profession.
He thanked the Lagos State government for assisting the Council to host the NEC meeting and for partnering with it.
His view was echoed by Akiolu, who urged journalists to always uphold the ethics of the profession for the development of the nation by reporting the truth.
Akiolu said: “Your profession is one of the best in the whole world but you can make a mess of it if members of the body are not reporting correctly and not cross-checking their facts before publishing.
“Investigative journalism is very important if we must move the country forward. By not reporting the truth, we tend to break the country and it is easier to destroy than to build but it is important to build than to destroy.”
Osoba tasked journalists to upgrade their knowledge on New Media and move up with the new trend of social media.
Resolutions
After deliberations presided over by Odusile, the NUJ took some decisions that would help move it and the country forward.
The NUJ:
• Expressed appreciation to the Lagos State government and the Lagos NUJ for hosting the meeting without hitches.
• Reviewed the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the past 11 months and expressed dismay at the hardship faced by Nigerians as regards fuel scarcity and urged Abuja to resolve the problem without further delay.
• Sympathised with parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, and implored Abuja to secure the release of the children who have remained in captivity for over two years.
• Said with the latest video released by Boko Haram showing that the girls are still alive, the government should ensure their lives are not further endangered.
• Commended the government on its commitment to rid the country of corruption and urged journalists to be part of the crusade by ensuring that no corrupt person enjoys media protection.
• Asked the government to take a second look at the Panama Papers and fish out those who hide their wealth in offshore companies to evade tax.
• Asked the government to review tax laws and bring all taxable Nigerians within the tax net.
• Urged the executive and the legislature to resolve their differences over the 2016 Appropriation Bill, get it passed, signed into law, and implement it in the interest of Nigerians.
• Advised that important projects of direct bearing on the lives of Nigerians like the Calabar-Lagos rail line be kept in the budget.
The NUJ commended the Armed Forces for the improvement in the fight against insurgency, and implored the government not to relent until terrorism is completely defeated.
It called for adequate security for people in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps.
On Fulani herdsmen/farmer conflicts, the NUJ sought urgent government intervention before the situation gets out of hand, as well as solution to cattle rustling.
The NUJ demanded concerted efforts to stamp out kidnapping nationwide and also counselled that the payment of workers’ salaries be taken seriously by federal and state governments and private sector operators.
Election Petitions Committee
The NUJ Election Petitions Committee was inaugurated to handle petitions arising from elections in state Councils, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
The committee is chaired by NUJ Deputy President, Muktar Gidado, with the six vice presidents as members.
Check off dues, suspensions
The payment of check off dues as at when due was stressed to ensure the proper funding of the NUJ.
Ogun NUJ Chairman, Wole Shokunbi, and three others – Modupeola Sobukola (treasurer), Dauod Olatunji (Vanguard), and Wale Oluokun (FRCN) – were suspended for three months in the first instance for gross indiscipline and disrespect to the office of NUJ president.
Four other journalists from Osun NUJ – Michael Olarewaju, Oguntunyi Sunday, Wasiu Ajadosu, and Yinka Kolawole – were suspended indefinitely for taking the union to court without first exhausting internal mechanisms of settling dispute.