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Tag: Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)

  • Healthcare delivery: NUJ to honour Gov. Gaidam

    Healthcare delivery: NUJ to honour Gov. Gaidam

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ ) says it will honour Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe for developing primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities to provide affordable and accessible healthcare in the state.

    Malam Yusuf Isa, the state Chairman of the union, disclosed this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

    Isa said: “The establishment of ultra-modern Teaching Hospital provided with state-of-the-art equipment is checking medical tourism by patients in need of advanced medical treatments.

    “The hospital is equipped with latest machines at the  dialysis centre, RMI machines and radiology equipment, among others, some of which were manufactured this year 2017.

    “Patients in need of complex treatment like dialysis or hip replacements no longer have to travel to teaching hospitals in Maiduguri, Kano or Abuja,” he said.

    The chairman said the engagement of consultants and other competent health personnel by the state government “to run the hospital has made healthcare in Yobe state accessible and affordable”.

    “The state has 428 functional primary institutions and 50 others providing free medical services to pregnant women, children below the age of five and accident victims.

    “Government also established a medical college at the state owned university and is currently reconstructing and expanding the General Hospitals in Damaturu, Potiskum, Geidam, Gashua, Buni-Yadi, Kanamma and Damagum.

    “The award is in recognition of this unprecedented development in the state health sector and to spur good governance in the state” Isa said.

    He said the testimonies of national officers who visited the state recently had justified the award to the governor and to encourage him do more.

    “The Deputy National President of the union, Alhaji Mukhtari Gidado; Zonal Vice President Aisha Ibrahim; the Zonal Secretary Suleman Ibrahim, and the state council officials described the hospital as a rare feat to have been achieved by a state governor in Nigeria,” said the union leader.

    The chairman said the council will also honor other personalities who have impacted positively on the lives of the people and development of the state.

  • Nasarawa: 60% of LG workers get paid for nothing

    Nasarawa: 60% of LG workers get paid for nothing

    Nasarawa State Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,  Mr Haruna Osegba, says more than 60 per cent of local government workers in the state  are receiving salaries for doing nothing.

    “We have discovered that over 60 percent of staff at the local government levels are not going to work, but only come to receive salary at the end of the month,’’ he told newsmen on Tuesday in Lafia.

    Osegbe who met with members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, said the government had established a machinery to check the situation.

    The commissioner said the government was worried that the salaries of local government workers were being paid in piecemeal in the last one year even though most of the workers do not even go to work.

    “We have put machinery in motion to check this trend and anyone found culpable would face serious disciplinary action,” he added.

    Osegba assured that the ministry would promote “all dedicated local government workers to boost their morale.’’

    He said that the state Local Government Service Commission had conducted a screening of genuine local council workers and would release the list of those cleared soon.

    The commissioner further assured that the government was doing its best to restore full salary payment to all local government workers as at when due.

    Earlier, Chairman of the chapel, Suleiman Abubakar, urged the commissioner to ensure that local government workers receive their full salaries, to enable them meet their daily obligations.

  • NUJ urges police to track killers of NTA reporter

    NUJ urges police to track killers of NTA reporter

    The Edo Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Thursday urged  the police to track the killers of Lawrence Okojie,  a reporter of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reporter.

    The Council Chairman, Sir Roland Osakue, made the call when the body of the late journalist was laid in state at the council’s secretariat on Thursday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Okojie, 33, was shot dead in Benin by unidentified gunmen while he was returning home from work in the night of July 8.

    Osakue, who described the late NTA staff as “a thoroughbred journalist and gentleman”, said the entire union was pained by his demise.

    He urged his family to take solace in the fact that the late journalist served humanity well throughout his sojourn on earth.

    While describing the prevailing security situation in the state as “worrisome”, Osakue urged the police to rise up to the challenge of curbing the current crime rate in the country.

    The NUJ chairman also appealed to the state government to beef up security in all strategic places to protect the lives and property of  citizens.

    Osakue expressed concern that the police had not  apprehended the killers of late Okojie several weeks after the incident.

    He promised to reward any member of the public that would offer useful information that could help in tracking the killers.

    “We are really sad about his death, most especially as he was killed in the line of duty.

    “We are particularly worried again because several weeks after the hardworking journalist was killed, security operatives have yet to find the killers,” he said.

    A former Chairman of the Council, Mr Desmond Agbama, appealed to  the police to take necessary steps to uncover the perpetrators of the crime.

    NAN reports that many journalists paid their last respect to the deceased who they described “as very friendly and accommodating”.

    NAN also reports that the management of the NTA has offered automatic employment to the young widow at the service of song held for the late journalist on Wednesday.

  • Rescue Kaduna chapter, Sen. Sani urges APC leadership

    Rescue Kaduna chapter, Sen. Sani urges APC leadership

    A member of the National Assembly, Sen. Shehu Sani, has called on the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rescue the party’s Kaduna chapter from imminent destruction.

    He made the call while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja, after a closed-door meeting with National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    Sani, who represents Kaduna Central in the Senate, was in company with some APC members in Kaduna, including Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) to the meeting with the national chairman.

    He condemned Saturday’s local government elections in the state, saying that it did not hold.

    Sani alleged that the delegates list for the election was doctored and did not follow due process.

    “They sat down in the palace of their gods to write names and send it down here for us to accept; that can never happen,” he said.

    He said that such practice contributed to the problems of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and warned that the APC could go the same way if its leadership failed to address the problem.

    “This was the seed of the destruction of the PDP, where individuals considered themselves as gods and any other person a slave; that will never happen in Kaduna state.

    “We are here to present our case and to appeal to the instrument of leadership of this party to intervene in the Kaduna issue before it becomes too late.

    “We are here to also state it to the party´s national leadership that we are under siege in Kaduna

    “The use of thugs and violence by agents and close associates of the state government is one thing we cannot tolerate,” Sani said.

    He decried the recent raiding of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Kaduna by thugs during a press briefing after the councils’ election, during which journalists were injured.

    He said that such was the trait of the APC, and urged its leadership to should set up an investigation panel to bring the perpetrators of the disturbances.

    The lawmaker alleged that the thugs were acting in concert with the police in the state.

    “If we continue on this part, where one person feels he is a god, I think we are simply repeating the very problem that destroyed the party we ejected out of power,” he said.

    He maintained that there was a need for APC to provide the vehicle for real change for the country to change and tasked members to change the manner they played politics.

    Sani stressed that those who resolved to the use of violence or thugs to liquidate perceived political opponent were on the wrong side of history.

    He said that members of his faction of the party in the state were not agents of violence but were loyal and peaceful.

    He insisted that if the APC must win the 2019 election, it must apart from fulfilling its campaign promises, set an example for discipline, comradeship and a sense of belonging to all members.

    Sani said that what was happening in the party´s leadership in the state was unbecoming and should be addressed before it became late.

    He appealed to those in authority to know that the God that brought the APC to power was still alive and will always listen to the cries of the oppressed and marginalised.

    “We are here in the spirit of that, and we hope that we will get the cooperation of the national party´s leadership to come to the rescue of the party in Kaduna before it is too late,” he said.

  • Journalists tasked on professionalism, good conduct

    Journalists tasked on professionalism, good conduct

    The Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau council, Mr Yakubu Taddy, has urged Journalists to be of good conduct and adhere to the tenets of the profession at all times.

    Taddy said this at the inauguration of the newly elected executives of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Council on Monday in Jos.

    According to Taddy, most journalists in the state have reduced themselves to beggars instead of being professional.

    “Sometimes I feel ashamed when I hear or see what some of our colleagues do and this is not good for our image.

    “We must be very professional in our dealings; we must stick to the tenets of our profession,” he said.

    He urged the newly inaugurated executives to carry the members of the chapel along.

    The new chairman, Mr Yusuf Aminu, promised to ensure sanity in the chapel.

    He pledged to uphold the sanctity of the journalism profession in the chapel.

    Aminu called on members of the chapel to cooperate and support the new executive for them to perform optimally.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chairman, Vice chairman, Secretary, Financial Secretary and Treasurer were re-elected, while the Assistant Secretary and the Auditor were elected for the first time.

  • NASS to seek special dollar exchange rate for pilgrims – Rep Salame

    NASS to seek special dollar exchange rate for pilgrims – Rep Salame

    The National Assembly will seek special dollar exchange rate for both Christian and Muslim pilgrims, a member of the House of Representatives (APC-Sokoto), Dr Balarabe Salame, has said.

    Salame, who is also the Chairman, House of Representatives Special Committee on Nigerian-Saudi Arabian on Hajj, made the disclosure on Thursday in Sokoto.

    He spoke at the maiden edition of the Stewardship Forum organised for both the state and national lawmakers by the state Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in
    collaboration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    The lawmaker said:”The gesture is to lessen the sufferings of prospective
    pilgrims and to enable more Nigerians to perform pilgrimage to in Saudi Arabia and Israel.

    ” The Federal Government gave an exchange rate of N360 to a dollar
    this year and this is on the high side.

    ”This is why the 2017 Hajj fare for Muslim pilgrims soared to N1.52 million per prospective pilgrim.”

    The lawmaker lauded the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration on the fight against corruption.

    ”Corruption is everywhere, even in the religion circle and more should be done to tame the socioeconomic monster,” he said.

    Salame also lauded the efforts of the Federal Government in securing the lives and property of Nigerians.

    He urged the government to establish warehouses at the nation’s borders for vehicle importers instead of outright ban on vehicles importation.

    ”With this in place, importers can bring in vehicles, pay the appropriate duties and move them into the hinterlands, rather than the outright ban of vehicles through the land borders,” Salame said.

     

  • Journalists: Be professional, patriotic -Bello

    Journalists: Be professional, patriotic -Bello

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has called on journalists to display high sense of professionalism, patriotism and discipline in their calling and avoid hate speeches and reports that tend to divide the nation.

    Bello made the call at a Ramadan fast-breaking dinner with media executives and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), on Friday night in Lokoja.

    According to the governor, some reports in the media of late tend to polarize the nation.

    He urged that reports that tend to sabotage unity of the nation or divide the people and undermine the corporate existence of the country should be avoided to pave way for advancement and development of the country.

    “Avoid misrepresentation of facts and limit report of those things that tend to divide us even if it is true.

    “Continue to do your best; I am aware of the menace of social media which has overwhelmed the conventional media.

    “On governance, we had to take a bold step and put our political interests on the line to ensure that the right things are done. I am not unmindful of the circumstances that brought me in,’’ he said.

    On the recent staff verification and salary issues, the governor maintained that no genuine worker of the state would be shortchanged, adding that the backlogs of salary arrears were being cleared.

    He promised to create an environment more conducive for interaction to enable government to right the wrongs of the past, identify weaknesses and strengthen them for overall development of the state.

    Speaking earlier, the state Council Chairman of NUJ, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Adeiza commended the governor for his courage and commitment to effecting necessary changes in various areas of the state economy.

    He commended Bello for the positive changes effected at the state-owned Graphic Newspaper and the Broadcasting Corporation (Radio-Kogi).

    Adeiza assured the governor of the continued cooperation of the NUJ, and urged him to create the enabling environment and provide support for journalists covering the state to discharge their duties effectively.

  • Embrace dialogue as solution to the country’s challenges – Sultan of Sokoto

    Embrace dialogue as solution to the country’s challenges – Sultan of Sokoto

    Sultan of Sokoto and Amirul Muminin, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has identified dialogue as the only remedy and solution to Nigeria’s multi-dimensional problems.

    According to the revered leader, “We should sit down, discuss issues and problems, as well as see where we have gone wrong and what went wrong.”

    Abubakar made the remarked in Sokoto Wednesday night when he hosted some religious groups, resident communities and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), to a Ramadan dinner in his palace.

    The royal father noted that challenges were meant to solidify Nigeria’s unity while underscoring the need for Nigerians to trust each other.

    He stressed further that  no problem in the world that dialogue cannot solve, noting that  crises were not unique to Nigeria, thus “We should see where we have derailed and retrace our steps, then move forward as a single, indivisible country.

    “There is no problem without a solution and there is no padlock made without keys to open it. It remains for us to see how to open it.”

    The religious monarch however, lamented the dwindling level of patriotism in the country, saying “is very low and admonished Nigerians to develop their country as nobody would do it for them.”

    He further said Nigerians were eager to live in peace and unity with one another, irrespective of any religious, political and ethnic coloration.

    “We must all strive to develop Nigeria into a country based on justice, fair-play and respect for on another.

    “Above all, we need the fear of God, as with the fear of God, you find things going right. God is the Alpha and Omega”, he pointed out.

    Abubakar explained that ” The fear of God is key to solving all our problems. Nigerians are very religious people and we have various Mosques and Churches.”

    Commenting on the recurring farmers-herdsmen clashes, the religious leader said that those causing mayhem were strangers adding that “those perpetrating crimes should be treated as criminals.”

    He said “We are all created by God and we should help one another, although we should hold our identities, with respect for one another.

    Abubakar maintained that Nigerians must understand their differences, “if not, we will never live in peace, when there is suspicion, there will be no trust and there will be no unity,” he pointed out.

    The revered monarch further commended the acting President Yemi Osinbajo, for initiating the series of wide consultations as a way out to calm aggrieved persons in the country, while promising that the traditional institution would continue to work relentlessly for Nigeria to remain peaceful, united and indivisible.

  • IPOB: Igala groups kick against inclusion

    IPOB: Igala groups kick against inclusion

    Against the backdrop of renewed secessionist agitations, nine socio-cultural organizations under the aegis, Ukomu Igala have kicked against what they described as the wrongful inclusion of the Igala nation in the ‘Biafra map’

    The groups during a world press conference they addressed Wednesday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press centre, Lokoja, stated that they are committed to upholding the unity, oneness and indivisibility of Nigeria.

    They described the present agitation that has included Igala people on paper as not only provocative but very insulting to the Igala race.

    According to the group spokesperson, Hon. Barry Idakwo, the declaration of Igala kingdom as a clan by the Biafra agitators is ‘definitely a product of ignorance of history and mischief’.

    “It is therefore unthinkable to annex the Igala kingdom without consulting us. Probably this may be due to the erroneous belief that Igala kingdom is a clan thus not important to consult the people of the great Igala kingdom before being annexed as part of the agitation.

    “This is against the spirit of fairness, sovereignty, equity, peaceful cohabitation and democracy to forcefully and falsely claim that a great kingdom as the Igala kingdom, which was never defeated in any war is part of Biafra” Idakwo explained”, he asserted.

    They urged their Igbo brothers to engage the Nigeria nation more purposefully for quality governance, rather than agitations for separatist state.

    They extended their message to the Northern youths to embrace the oneness of Nigeria as a nation.

    He underscore why Nigeria must remain an indivisible nation, saying, “We, as a people in the Middle Belt crave for peace at all times because when war breaks out, we will be at the receiving end as the theatre of war. The last civil war holds very unpleasant testimonies”.

    Idakwo expressed dismay that there is minimal federal presence in terms of infrastructure and economic activities in the Igala kingdom, even when their allegiance and commitment to the stability of the Federal Government remain total.

    They called on the federal government to look into issues that may threaten the peace and development of the Igala kingdom, including the need to continue urgently the construction of the Bagana-Guto bridge to ease access to the Federal Capital Territory, and encourage economic activities, unity and proximity to the centre of governance and establishment of a full-fledged naval base at Idah, an army barrack in Olamaboro local government area and and the swearing in the minister from Kogi State, Prof Stephen Ikani Ocheni immediately to afford them the sense of belonging and input to national affairs.

     

  • Commissioner urges NUJ to fish out quacks extorting money from people

    Commissioner urges NUJ to fish out quacks extorting money from people

    Mr Abdulhamid Kwarra, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, has asked the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to “fish out quacks extorting monies from government officials”.

    “There are many quacks moving around as journalists; they use blackmail and other tactics to extort money from government officials. We want the NUJ to fish them out,” Kwarra said on Tuesday in Lafia.

    Kwara gave the suggestion when he received the executive council members of the Nasarawa State chapter of the NUJ.

    He called for proactive steps that would rid the media of “fake elements” dragging its name to the mud.

    According to him, “such elements move from one government ministry to another claiming to belong to mediums we have never heard of”.

    “The ploy is to extort money from government officials and other individuals; the NUJ should tackle these people,” he said.

    He charged journalists to be objective in their reportage, and cautioned against sensational reports that could paint government in bad light.

    Earlier, Mr Dogo Shammah, the NUJ chairman, had commended the state government for maintaining a cordial relationship with the media.

    Shammah particularly thanked the state government for donating 20 laptop computers to the union, and N5 million for the renovation of the press centre.

    “The 20 computers have been of great value to the newsmen. They have eased our jobs in Nasarawa State,” he said.