Niger NUJ gets new executive council

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has inaugurated a new executive council to pilot the affairs of its Niger State Council. Those inaugurated included Abu Nmodu as Chairman; Urea Gana, Vice Chairman; Usman Mohammad Chiji, Secretary; and Abubakar Adamu Kuta as Assistant Secretary. Others are Habiba Etsu as Treasurer; Zakari Musa lambata, Financial Secretary, and Ndanusa Abdullahi as Auditor

Inaugurating the new executives at the weekend in Minna, NUJ President, Dr Chris Isiguzo, reminded them of the enormous task ahead, enjoining the officials to always carry union members along.

Represented by the Vice-President Zone ‘D’, Chris Atsaka, the NUJ boss noted that the Niger Council, during the period under review, had performed well.

He used the opportunity to urge President Bola Tinubu to urgently address some of the genuine demands of the #EndBadGovernance protesters. Isiguzo also sought justice for the families of those journalists who died while carrying out their legitimate duties during the nationwide hunger protest.

In a goodwill message, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, charged the new officials to sustain the confidence reposed in them to continuously deliver good services to the people. He said the media remains the confidence of the nation owing to its onerous task as a watchdog of the society.

In his acceptance speech, Nmodu, on behalf of others, commended members of the union for the confidence reposed in them, pledging a smoother working relationship that encourages exploration of possible areas of comparative advantage.

He revealed that the coming of social media has increased the tendency of fake news; hence, he would strengthen collaboration with IBB University, Lapai and other relevant educational institutions in the state for fact-checking and to also encourage ICT for members.

In a related development, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has congratulated the new executive council. His felicitations were contained in a message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim.

He urged the officials to redouble their efforts in serving members of the union with a view to sustaining the gains, while also taking deliberate steps to eliminating quacks among them to further address the challenges of fake news.