By Emem Archibong
A wave of change is sweeping through the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council, as its members have reached a breaking point with the reign of unrestrained power and unaccounted finances.
The recent impeachments of former council Chairman and the Secretary, are emblematic of a Union standing up to reclaim its rightful purpose. The message is clear: the people have had enough of the power-intoxication and opaque leadership that has suffocated the NUJ-FCT for a long time.
This movement is not about leadership change or mere reforms but it’s about a peaceful revolution, a complete rejection of the cabal that has turned the Union into an automated teller machine (ATM) for their personal gains.
We are not ignorant of the fruitless journey embarked on over the past six years by the immediate past chairman and his coterie who openly declared themselves as the kingmakers, deciding who rises within not only the NUJ FCT Council but even the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ). This monopolistic control has turned the NUJ FCT Council into a “family business”, where leadership is handed off among puppets and cronies by the once-celebrated farm owners rather than Members to be chosen by the Union’s genuine members during democratic process. But the people are now saying, “Enough is enough!”
One could recall how a Couple will wake up from their bed and think of imposing their stooge on FCT NAWOJ during the last election. But to their disappointment, all ended in favour of the people’s Choice, with the resolute Members of the FCT NAWOJ who wrestled themselves from the claws of a certain Couple who over the time feel they own it all!
Yet unsatisfied with this NAWOJ knockout, the same couple is wrestling for the soul of NUJ FCT Council and embarked on futile character assassination, threatening to ensure that over their dead body will a Woman – ‘The People’s Choice’ become the Chairman of FCT Council! Abba!
How could the same self-exalted family forget so soon, how the only Woman in the current race spent fortune to rally overwhelming support for same ungrateful ex-Chair? We saw it all the overwhelming support garnered by the Amazon Lady and how she workerd tirelessly to secure the unprecedented landmark victory for the same ever-aggrieved past Chair! But like the proverbial
All these, are history and we can only urge them to repent for the sake of posterity!!! Their demand for the soul of NUJ FCT Council will never work!
The absence of financial records over the past six years points to a disturbing pattern of mismanagement and raises legitimate questions about the handling of Union finances. Why would those in power resist calls for transparency? The answer seems evident: the very individuals resisting the call for change are those who have the most to lose if their fraudulent dealings are exposed if there is change in leadership outside their “anointed” candidates. Their grip on the union has kept its operations shrouded in secrecy, leading to a climate where misappropriations and malfeasance are the order of the day but never scrutinized.
Nevertheless, in recent times, Intellectual Members are coming together, determined to wrest control back from those who misuse the Council for their selfish interests.
The well-celebrated impeachment of the embattled Comrade Chair and Secretary is not only an act of accountability but a rallying cry that things will no longer be tolerated or continue as “business as usual.”
The Council must recognize that power ultimately lies with the people, not with those who shield themselves behind a cloak of influence and privilege. The time has come to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to thoroughly investigate the Council’s finances and leadership practice in the last six years.
The real Members of the NUJ, the ones who believe in the Union’s mission to support and protect Journalists, are no longer willing to stand by and watch the Institution being run like an inherited estate. The people’s revolution is real, and their demand for a clean and transparent NUJ-FCT Council is unyielding. “NUJ-FCT is not a family business” is the rallying cry, and the Union’s future must be shaped by those who place integrity, transparency and accountability above self-centered interests.
The time for change is now, and the NUJ-FCT must rise above the current corrupt clique and embrace a leadership that serves its Members, honours its purpose, and stands untainted by corruption. The people have spoken: the NUJ belongs to its Members, and only through their commitment to transparency and professionalism can it achieve the greatness it was always meant to embody. The victory song on the lips of bonafide Members of NUJ-FCT is, the dawn of a new day has come!!!
Emem Archibong
Public Affairs Expert
