RAYMOND OZOJI reports
Anambra State Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists has taken secession as its respite from what it saw as the despotic, draconian and dictatorial leadership of the state council of the union.
The Correspondents took the decision to secede from the state council of the NUJ during its June congress at Awka, following a unanimous 9-point resolution jointly signed by about 30 members of the chapel who attended the congress.
The Correspondents amongst other very cogent reasons contained in the 9-point communique, maintained that enough is enough for the NUJ state chairman one Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, who now parades himself as a demi-god threatening the lives of members of Correspondents' Chapel with the Department of State Service(DSS) and other law enforcement agencies in the state.
The Correspondents who reaffirmed the leadership of Chief Chuks Ilozue and his Executives as the duly elected officers of the chapel, stated very strongly that henceforth the Correspondents' Chapel will deal directly with the national body of the union because the integrity of the state council has been compromised.
The 9-point communique which clearly outlined the position of the Correspondents' Chapel reads in part, "The Anambra State Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists hereby unanimously endorses the leadership of Chief Chuks Ilozue and other members of his Executive Committee (EXCO).
Given the high-handedness, threats to life and other unwholesome attitudes exhibited by Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, the Chairman of Anambra Council of our Union, the leadership and members of the Anambra State Correspondents' Chapel have collectively decided to disassociate themselves from the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra State Council, effective immediately.
As of now, our obedience and loyalty shall be directed to the national body of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, pending the time when the Anambra State Council under Odogwu is purged of its maladies and restored to a state of order and decorum.
We pledge to pay all fees due to the Union directly to the national body within a reasonable period, as may be practicable.
This decision has been necessitated by the need to protect ourselves from the draconian, inhumane and threat-infested environment and acts that prevail within the Anambra State Council of our Union, which have made it impossible for us to function effectively and safely.
Regarding the bus donated to our chapel by the state government, which Odogwu seeks and schemes to assign to Tochukwu Ifejika, his sister- In-law and Chairperson, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Anambra state Chapter for the purpose of running her Union (NAWOJ), we wish to state that the bus is intact and available. We hereby declare that our members have vehemently decided not to surrender the bus and/or any other property to Odogwu or anybody for any reason, as it shall continue to be used for the purpose for which it was donated (which is to enable us collectively attend government functions and other activities).
We are compelled to note that Odogwu's actions have pushed us to the wall, leaving us no option but to invoke our constitutional rights (If need be), as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (section 40 as amended), which guarantees the right to freedom of association and the option to belong or not to belong to any association.
Note that previously, Correspondents Chapel had made honest moves to resolve this impasse, including consulting stakeholders, but these moves were truncated and rebuffed by Odogwu who unwarrantingly dragged the chapel to Department of State Service (DSS)."
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