NUJ Seeks N1bn to Build National Secretariat – Garba

Malam Mohammed Garba, National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said that the body would source for N1 billion to construct a befitting National Secretariat. Garba, who disclosed this on Saturday in Lagos at the monthly meeting of the Lagos Council of the NUJ, said that the Fund Raising Dinner would be held in Abuja on June 30.
It would be recalled that both the NUJ National Secretariat and Guest House were demolished a few years ago by the Malam Nasir El-Rufai led administration, as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The NUJ President said that it was never in his manifestoe to build a secretariat.
Garba explained that a decision on the matter was taken after series of discussions between the Central Working Committees (CWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the union.
According to him, the union will build both a befitting National Secretariat and an International Journalism Training  Institute in Abuja.
“I want you all to give us (NUJ Executive) the necessary support so that we can succeed in these projects,’’ Garba said.
He thanked members of the State Council for their support, saying that “most of the things we are doing are ideas from our friends and colleagues in the Lagos State Council’’.
He lauded the signing into law of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill by President Goodluck Jonathan, describing it
as a welcome development.
“We are trying to have a stakeholders’ meeting to sensitise members of the union with the due process and the application of the FOI Act,’’ Garba said.
He said that very soon, the union would hold its long-awaited Constitutional Conference as well as the Media Games in Gombe.
The NUJ President had earlier inaugurated the five-man Credentials Committee, elected at the monthly meeting to organise a free and fair election for the Lagos State Council by Sept 14, 2011.
Garba urged members of the Committee to be faithful and unbiased in the discharge of their duties.
The committee members, who were immediately sworn in by the NUJ President included Mr Adeleye Ajayi (News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Mr Waheed Odusile (The Nation newspapers).
Others were Mr Banji Oluwalana (NTA), Mrs Biola Beckley (DAAR Communications Ltd) and Mrs Olabimpe Zaccheaus (Lagos Information Chapel).

The occasion was dramatic as the out-going Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Wahab Oba, who was recently appointed the Chief Press Secretary to Kwara State Governor, handed over the leadership of the council to the Vice-Chairman, Mr Deji Elumoye. ( NAN )