ENUGU – Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Enugu State council members on Saturday rejected palliatives donated by the State Government to help cushion the effect of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The bone of contention was the announcement by the Commissioner for Information Chidi Aroh that the palliative is shared amongst the alleged factions in the union.
Aroh insisted the palliative be shared among NUJ members including the faction led by the suspended National Vice President South East Zone, Petrus Obi.
NUJ, Enugu chapter rejects palliative (PilotNews Photo)This directive did not augur well with the NUJ executives and members who saw the unprofessional move as meddling in the affairs of the body.
Reacting to the development, the NUJ Enugu State Council Chairman, Mr. Rex Arum expressed displeasure of the action of the Commissioner of Information.
Arum described the State Government delegates’ action as total disregard to Journalists, who have contributed immensely to the development of the state.
“Journalists in Enugu State are not hungry and will not succumb to any form of intimidation from any quarter,” Arum reiterated.
He further stated that NUJ Enugu is not rejecting the good-willed palliative from the state government but the imposed sharing formula.
The council chairman further explained that officially, the palliatives should have been handed over to him and his executives for onward sharing to her members.
Supporting the Council Chairman’s stand, the NUJ Acting National Vice President South East Zone C, Ken Ofoma expressed dismay over the commissioner’s statement while stating that there are no factions in the union.
“The conflict is on sharing the palliatives with a group suspended by the National body over anti-union activities,” the vice president asserted.
However, this unfortunate incident will not deter journalists in the state from partnering with the state government to foster development of the state, Ofoma promised.
The NUJ members who gathered in their numbers, in solidarity with her executives abandoned the food items leaving the Governor’s delegates with no other option than to return them back to the Government House.
The delegates include Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, Leader Enugu State House of Assembly, Jeff Mbah Chairman, Committee on Information ENSHA, and the Commissioner for Information.
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