Communique Issued at the End of NUJ Anambra State Council October 2023 Congress at the Godwin Ezeemo International Press Centre, Secretariat Complex, Awka on 5th October, 2023

The October, 2023 Congress presided over by the Anambra State Council Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD, (JP) ended with the following resolutions:

1. Congress encouraged all practising journalists to register and identify with NUJ in the State for a United Union. Congress warned all non journalists to stop playing the roles of professional journalists. Congress urged all social media operators and what have you, to go by their names and not journalists, as the Union would henceforth not take it lightly with those impersonating journalists. Congress frowned at the resurgence of unregistered, unknown and unprofessional people claiming to be journalists going around harassing people at events and asking interviewees to transfer money to them against the ethics of the profession.
2. Congress encouraged public officers to be accountable and cooperate with genuine professional journalists doing their duties in serving them better by responding to their calls for enquiry as ignoring calls from journalists may jeopardize their opportunity to speak their sides of any story.
3. Congress calls on government to intervene quickly on the erosion menace at Ebenato in Nnewi South LGA as it is almost encroaching the nearby school. Attention was also drawn to other erosion sites in the State particularly the ones that have cut Onitsha-Owerri Road into two and the one at Onitsha-Enugu Express Road. Congress asked the State government to reach out to the Federal Government for urgent resolution.

4.Congress frowned at the constant abandonment of filled waste bins noticed around some places in the State and encouraged quick evacuation to avoid pollution leading to health hazards. Congress commended the efforts of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, ACTDA led by Chief Ossy Onuko in its determined efforts to keep the State clean and urged them to step up the tempo.

5. Congress urged government to initiate plans urgently against the announcement and sensitisation of re- occurrence of flood due to the opening of Cameroon Dam to avoid unforseen circumstances against the people of the state in 7 riverine Local Government Areas.
6. Congress commended the state government’s efforts to cushion effects of the high inflation in the State but asked government to monitor SEMA and other agencies distributing the relief materials for equity, fairness and just sharing. Congress frowned at a situation where relief materials would be brought in hundreds of trailers but packed to rot away before sharing.
7. Congress also advised NUJ Anambra State Council to present it’s request to the government for it’s own members share of the palliative being distributed.
8. Congress commended the magazine of the Union for setting a high professional standard in its maiden publication of the ‘The WatchDog’, a publication of NUJ, Anambra State, even as Congress urged the team of editors led by Dr. Obiorah Edogor to give the general public good coverage.
9. Congress commended an online newspaper media outfit, Angel Network News (ANN) for partnering NUJ for it’s 2023 Security summit with the theme ‘Understanding State Image and Responsiveness in Security Reporting in Contemporary Nigeria: Anambra as a case study’. which was a huge success. Congress commended Dr. Odogwu for his foresight in conducting relevant events for the Council and Dr. Ifeanyi Val Obiefuna, MD of ANN for the partnership while expressing gratitude to Engr. Dr Emeka Eze, the former President of Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), who is also a former Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement, as the Keynote Speaker. He was represented by Dr Nelson Omenugha, SPAD to Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo on Youth Empowerment. Congress also commended Dr. K. K. Osayi of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Department of Sociology & Anthropology who is also the Sub-Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences as Guest Speaker.

The event was also attended by the first female Professor of Mass Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna; the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, represented by his second in command, Finance and Admin, DCP David Iloyanomon; Anambra State Commander, FRSC,
Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi represented by Boniface Iyakhemie, an Assistant Commander; ED Bawa Bulus, State DSS Director represented by Uzor John Ibienu, a Deputy Director of DSS to mention but a few. ICPC, Immigration, Private security Guards Company led by Dr. Okon Antai among others were all in attendance.

10. Congress charged media practitioners, Media Executives, and Bloggers to continue to believe in the power of media in shaping issues affecting society, especially their contributions in promoting peace and development of the country, and urged them to sustain the tempo by upholding the ethical codes of the profession, which include clarity, objectivity and truthfulness.
11. Congress stressed the need for Journalists to always confirm every information at their disposal before publication to avoid plunging any part of the country into conflict against the other, and bringing the profession to ridicule.
12. Congress called for greater media involvement in challenging daunting insecurity issues, noting that no society can progress outside a peaceful and serene environment which could be championed by journalists as agents of change.
13. Congress while observing the friction between journalists and the Anambra State government over closure of the only state owned Printing Corporation, publishers of National Light Newspapers, noted that the State government has misplaced its priority by shuting down the National Light newspaper, even as it charged the Anambra Broadcasting Service ( ABS) and the State Ministry of Information to raise public hope by performing above the bar.
14. Congress also advised journalists, especially the bloggers to be responsive, create meaning out of every existing reality and shun ethnic sentiments while struggling to attract traffics with their reportage, even as it called for a synergy between the media and security operatives to tackle insecurity challenges.

Compiled by the Communique Drafting Committee:
Okechukwu Onuegbu,
Lawrence Nwimo,
Izunna Okafor, and
Uche Kalu.

Signed:
Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, PhD, (JP)
Chairman, NUJ Anambra State Council
08060750240

Comrade Aloysius Ofodile
Secretary, NUJ Anambra State Council