The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Bayelsa State Council will be holding its triennial delegates conference on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Ekeki in Yenagoa. The high point of the conference, expected to commence at 8.00 a.m., will be the election to usher in a new executive to run the council for the next three years.
As the elections were approaching, the Comrade Samuel Numonengi-led Executive Council dutifully set up a Credentials Screening Committee (CSC) to midwife credible elections that will birth a new executive council that every practising journalist in Bayelsa State would be proud of.
The days leading to the elections were acrimonious, to say the least. The days were laced with intrigue and high stake drama. There are two chairmanship candidates -- Comrade Ogio Ipigansi of the Information Chapel, who is the incumbent Secretary of Council and Comrade Tonye Yemoleigha of the Radio Bayelsa Chapel -- and members of their proposed cabinet or slate. Ogio's slate calls itself Team Peace while Yemoleigha's group styles itself as Team Better Together.
After screening the candidates offering themselves for election, the Yola Amieyefa-led Credentials Screening Committee did what had never happened in 28-year-old history of the NUJ in Bayelsa State.
The CSC disqualified six of the seven-man Team Better Together, clearing only the chairmanship candidate, Yemoleigha. On the other hand, the Committee cleared six members of Team Peace, disqualifying only the candidate gunning for the position of Financial Secretary, Theophilus Agidee.
Amongst other reasons given for the mass disqualification of the Team Better Together candidates, was meeting attendance. For any aspirant to be eligible, among other reasons, such an aspirant must have attended at least 50 per cent of the meetings. Meanwhile, the incumbent executive council held only five regular meetings in the whole of three years out of a possible 36 meetings!
Team Better Together smelt a rat, alleging that the process of disqualifying its aspirants was floored and approached the court to get an injunction stopping the elections from holding until the perceived correct thing was done.
The stalemate compelled national officers of the NUJ who were already in the state for the election, to call for a stakeholders meeting to resolve the impasse. At the end of the stakeholders meeting, three major resolutions were arrived at. The first was for Team Better Together to withdraw its suit in court. The second was for the CSC to clear all the aspirants and give every one of them a level playing ground to test their popularity. And the third was for the present executive council to remit more than two million Naira check-off dues meant for the national office of the NUJ. All of these have been done, thus paving the way for the elections tomorrow.
As part of the electioneering campaigns, supporters of both camps have been throwing brick bats at each other, some resorting to outright abuse.
As Bayelsa NUJ goes to the poll tomorrow, the interest of this writer is not who wins the election but the competence and capability of the person who eventually wins. Will the winner have what it takes to deliver? This question has become imperative because there is so much to be done concerning the welfare of practising journalists in Bayelsa and giving the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre a face-lift.
The first task of the new Exco of the NUJ would be to unite the "warring" NUJ family who have allowed the elections to put a wedge between them. Without that the state NUJ cannot move forward.
There is the incident of flooding at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre whenever it rains. The in-coming Exco must muster the necessary courage to engage government with a view to doing something about the flooding. A lot of work would have to be done to partner government, multinational oil companies and other corporate organisations to ensure journalists are trained and re-trained.
The issue of quackery in the profession has been a recurring decimal. The in-coming Exco must be able to decisively tackle the matter to rid the state council of quacks. There is need for the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre to have internet connectivity for journalists to file in their reports after events. Efforts have been made in the past without much success. The new leadership will have to revisit the matter of internet connectivity.
There is need for a review of the agreement between the state council and the gentleman running the NUJ bar. Presently, he pays rent on the facility and because he has to recoup his money, price of drinks is on the high side. If the facility does not attract any rent, the leadership of the NUJ may have a say in the price of the drinks. The same should be done for the canteen too. Effort should be made to treat the water from the borehole and also fix the rooms so it can attract guests and in the process generate revenue for the state council.
The 18 chapels of the state council of the NUJ need funds to run their activities so the in-coming Exco must make it a point of duty to remit check-off dues to the various chapels, the Zone and Abuja. That will boost the integrity of the council. In addition, there should be transparency and accountability in the running of the affairs of the state council of the NUJ.
The two recognized bodies under the NUJ are the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). NAWOJ has an office within the Press Centre. It is only fair and proper that SWAN should be allocated an office so as to give them a sense of belonging.
As NUJ Bayelsa goes to the poll, the expectation is that the candidate with demonstrable competence wins so that he will give the NUJ the leadership it deserves.
