By Sam Adzegeh
It is sad that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), a hitherto most dynamic and most respected association, the only union in Nigeria which enjoys dual status as a trade/industrial union; indeed, the only union recognized by the Nigerian Constitution, insists on dragging itself into opprobrium.
Every member of the NUJ worth his salt remembers the lethargy that overshadowed the union after the Port Harcourt convention in 2015.
The slide down the gradient occurred because at the Port Harcourt Delegates’ Conference, where several of the union’s leaders conspired to twart the will of NUJ members in their choice of President. Using the most abrasive and unholy tactics ever in NUJ elections, they succeeded in imposing a most unsuitable candidate on the union. The result? The union went comatose, all but dead to the world. This was a follow-through to the Badagry convention where all decency was thrown to the dogs and arbitrary allegations heaped on opponents who were summarily tried and disqualified, all in a bid to avoid fair competition.
After the crude imposition in Port Harcourt (2015), salvation came the way of the union when in Abuja (2019), more discerning and honorable leaders revolted, organized a rebellion and overthrew that inept leadership, and ushered in Muhammed Garba through a transparent process supervised by NEC itself. Garba it was who, as Union President (2019 – 2015, brought to bear his charisma, humility and commendable inter-personal relationship skills, to pull the union out of the doldrums and, to a large extent, restore its dignity.
Between Badagry and Port Harcourt, the NUJ suffered the crudest impositions ever known to it. True, there was some respite through the personal charisma and forceful character of then president Smart Adeyemi, and some achievement was chalked up, most prominent which was the famous nationwide Media Tour.
As earlier stated, the succeeding four years between 2015 and 2019 (under Ndagene Aku) however, witnessed probably the ‘downest’ period in NUJ history: no achievement was recorded, nothing was gained. All was lost.
I have gone down this memory lane to point out what the imposition, read ‘endorsement’, of unpopular candidates, especially one without charm, charisma or ideas, can negatively impact on any association, even a union with the strength, diversity and backing of the nation’s Constitution like the NUJ.
Unfortunately, members of the union, including many of its past and present leadership, appear to have learned nothing from the above and similar episodes. They have currently conspired to adopt a suspicious silence (the kola-in-cheek option) in the face of the current President’s impudent constitutional breaches, including a brazen manipulation/distortion of delegates’ list in order to impose another (his preferred) candidate on the union at next month’s convention in Owerri through a dubious ‘endorsement’ arrangement. The reason behind this is simply to cover his ineptitude and borderline criminality in office. It is a ploy that all well meaning members of this union must resist. It is gratifying that some councils, under leaders who are conscientious, courageous and God fearing, are already up in arms against ‘endorsement’ as a means of deciding the Union’s leadership going forward. ‘Endorsement’ is an evil agenda which, like its infamous precursor ‘the third term agenda’, is bound to fail. It is an evil which, as shown above, will only lead this great union into an abyss from which it may never recover.
The Save-NUJ-Now! Movement commends the courage and resilience of those leaders and members at all levels who insist on Delegates’ rights to interact with, and interrogate their would-be-leaders’ intelligence, track records and pedigree at interpersonal levels, which was the original intent of pioneer leaders of the union. May history be kind to them.
For the proponents of ‘endorsement’, or whatever acronym they ascribe to their evil scheme, let it be known that NUJ members have become too sophisticated to be deceived by such cheap propaganda. Any candidate that allows himself to be misled by any godfather, past or present, that he has been endorsed by any council or even chapel, such a candidate had better wake up from a bad dream. There are no endorsements.
NUJ members, especially delegates going to Owerri, are too concerned about the welfare of members and the dwindling fortunes of the union, to indulge any attempt at endorsing any candidate. Anyone who tries it will have him or herself to blame.
Members must insist on fully interacting with and thoroughly scrutinizing all candidates for the elections.
May the harsh judgement of everything good be upon the proponents of endorsement. The ‘Save-NUJ-NOW!’ movement is recording the contributions of personalities on both sides for posterity and, at the appropriate time, shall let their kith and kin, as well as the entire world, know where they stood when the NUJ needed them most.
Adzegeh, Convener, ‘Save-NUJ-NOW!’ is veteran of four NUJ Delegates’ Conferences.
