By Ademola Orunbon
Some of the leaders, elders and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), across the country have rejected the proposal for the venue of the hosting of this year’s national delegates conference.
According to sunrise News source at the national secretariat in Abuja who preferred anonymity, a proposal for the sum of N150 Millon, has been written to the Government of Imo state, for the hosting of the delegates conference in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
This development has led some members across the six geo-political zones of the country to start mobilizing for the rejection of the proposed location ahead of the NUJ NEC meeting, holding in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday.
Sunrise News gathered that the delegates conference may be boycotted due to the general insecurity in the southeast region, just as it happened three years ago in Umuahia, Abia State, where the National President took the delegates conference to, for his reelection in 2021.
The source added that members were miffed at the zoning of the delegates conference again to the south east, asking why other safe zones can not conveniently host the delegates conference.
The source stressed that members are of the opinion that south east zone cannot hold the delegates conference of NUJ back to back in 2021 and 2024, and demanded for justice, equity and fairness.
According to our source, the intention of the leadership of NUJ is that people will boycott the election if taken to the south east zone citing insecurity, so that the President’s proteges can win the elections without any contest, just as it happened three years ago, when the northerners boycotted the elections in Umuahia, Abia state.
The source stressed that the south east zone has been volatile in terms of insecurity since 2010, when four journalists from Lagos State were kidnapped on the Aba-Umuahia road on their way from NEC meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, while Mr Ahmed Gulak, former special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan was brutally killed in Imo state by unknown gunmen. Also three weeks ago, nine soldiers were killed in Imo state, so, security in south east is so tense that it will be unwise to move journalists to south east in this trying period.
The source therefore urged delegates to the NEC meeting to reject such proposal if put forward during the deliberations and consider other zones or preferably Abuja, which is central to all the states of the federation where all state councils can cater for their delegates in terms of transportation, accommodation and feeding if the national secretariat of NUJ fails to sponsor its delegates conference.