By Ayo Bada
Senior Correspondent
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) President, Abdulwaheed Odusile, has been elected as Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) president in a unanimous voting by FAJ steering committee.
FAJ, the African regional association of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) held the election during its fourth congress in Abuja where Odusile emerged unopposed.
Maria Carvalho of Sindicato dos Journalistas Angolanos was elected vice president and Zeid Debbon (Syndicat National des Journalists Tunisiens) treasurer.
Union representatives elected from all African sub regions to serve on the steering committee are Stephen Ouma Bwire (Uganda Journalists Union), Foster Dongozi (Zimbabwe Union of Journalists), and Ibrahima Ndiaye (Syndicat des Professionnels de l’Information de la Communication – Senegal).
Alexandre Niyungeko (Union Burundaise des Journalistes), Denis Nkwebo (Syndicat Nationale des Journalistes du Cameroon), Moussa Traore (Union Nationale des Journalistes de Cote d’ Ivoire).
Eduardo Constantino (Sindicato Nacional de Journalistas of Mozambique), Abdullai Camara (Press Union of Liberia, PUL), and Franck Kpochere (Union des Professionnels des medias du Benin).
Five female journalists elected into the Pan-African Gender Council are Angela Chishimaba (Zambia Union of Journalists), Marion Vivivan (Syndicat Nationale des Journalistes du Cameroon), Particia Ajdisseku (Union des Journalists Independents du Togo), Aisha Youssouf (Association des Journalistes Djiboutiens), and Nigeria’s Fatimah Abdulkareem.
FAJ outlined the safety of journalists and the campaign against impunity as top priorities in the next three years.
It will also focus on gender equality in the media and unions, freedom of information, online safety, and decriminalisation of libel.
The two-day event brought together 34 delegates from 22 journalists’ unions and associations across Africa who deliberated on issues affecting journalists and the media in Africa, took stock of FAJ’s achievements and challenges, and elected a new leadership to run its affairs for the next three years.