…Group wants chairman impeached
SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, (THEWILL) – The Delta State Government sponsored training for 16 journalists at the Thompson Reuters Institute in London is already causing some ripples in the state.
A group, Liberate–Delta Peoples’ Movement, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Cadre Drake said; “Uduaghan is taking the ordinary citizens of Delta State for granted by the unadulterated waste of the State funds.”
The group added that “even if this was a good idea, with more 18 people travelling to UK, it would have been significantly cheaper to invite Reuters to Warri.”
The State Information Commissioner, Mr. Chike Ogeah, however said the training was in line with Uduaghan’s human capital development programme for the state just as he confirmed that 16 journalists from the print and electronic media in the state have commenced the one-week training in London under the sponsorship of the state government.
According to the commissioner, “the ongoing training is the second to be sponsored by the Delta State Government,” as he said ” Last year, 12 journalists were at the Thomson Reuters Institute for one-week training on News Writing.”
Aside the allegation that the government was unnecessarily being wasteful, some journalists in the state are also accusing the chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) of working in tandem with government.
He is being accused of picking some private sector journalists for the London training in order for them to write positive stories about the government.
Already, the aggrieved journalists are making moves to get the NUJ chairman impeached.
The leadership of NUJ chapels in the state under the auspices of “Chapel Leaders Forum”, is alleged to have begun collation of signatories to commence impeachment of the chairman of the union, Mr Norbert Chaizor.
Chiazor is allegedly being accused of corruption, flagrant disregard to the NUJ’s constitution, lack of transparency, respect for members, romance with government to detriment of members as well as intimidation and harassment of members.
“The chairman has been running the union like a private empire as well as his failures to hold monthly congresses which has breached Article F 6a of the union which states inter alia that “the state congress shall meet monthly,”an official of the union who preferred anonymity said.
“The chapel leaders are also, not happy that Article 2 c has also been breached severally by the Norbert Chiazor-led executive as it has failed to “encourage the participation of members in decision making processes in the Union.”
“The Chapels leadership and their members were quick to mention the 2012 edition of the Press Week organized by the state Council of the NUJ where the issue was not discussed at SEC or Congress before a committee was set up and inaugurated by the Council.
“This led to a subtle boycott of the lecture aspect of the week where Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan despite all efforts to flag-off the ceremony had to mandate his Deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama (SAN) to represent him due to the poor turnout of journalists for the event”.
“Lagos-based Lawyer and gubernatorial aspirant in Delta State, Festus Keyamo had to deliver the lecture spoke to a hall that had less than 10 per cent of practising journalists in attendance.
“Also, during the 2012 edition of the Press Week, despite Comrade Chiazor informing members of SEC that the National Executive Council of the NUJ approved that only five persons be given award during the Award Nite, more than eight persons bagged the NUJ, Delta State Council awards prompting questions as to “how much was paid for the awards?” to be asked and the disregard of the order by NEC.”
However, an aggrieved member of Chiazor led executive said the NUJ members in the state are worried that the NEC of the Union may not do anything against Chiazor as he had severally boasted that “I put Comrade Garba (NUJ National President, Comrade Mohammed Garba) there, I followed him throughout his campaign and if you are going to complain, who will you complain to?”
Sources said apart from the 16 private sector journalists, the state owned Pointer Newspapers General Manager, Mr. Bioseh Iwobi, whose tenure has over elapsed; the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Mr. Austin Mowah, who is due for retirement by 28th of this month and the Special Assistant to the commissioner among others led by Ogeah himself left the shores of the country on Sunday, 22nd, September 2013 for the training in London which sources said will last for two weeks.
This came as sources at Government House said; “The governor is at good wasting public funds. Some of the persons on the list were the same persons who attended the first jamboree in London. Mowah, Ogeah, Chiazor, SA to the commissioner and few others currently in London were among the first set.”
Last year the council chairman was almost impeached following his involvement in a similar training involving 12 journalists in the state at the Reuters/Thompson Foundation in London, United Kingdom.
In a petition titled; “Delta Condemned Uduaghan For Wasting Delta State Funds On 16 Private Sector Journalists For Reuters Course In London” and made available to newsmen, Cadre Drake of Liberate-Delta Peoples Forum said; “Members of the group have expressed great shock and disappointment to hear that this current course was the ‘second’ such sponsorship of journalists from the state coffers.
“Liberate believes that it is not the business of Delta State to act as the human resources department of privately owned media houses.”.
The group however affirmed its strong support for the principal of ‘freedom of the press’ and it is sad that even the media house could not see how this might compromise their reputation as independent press”.
The group has also raised concerns about Reuters accepting these candidates on their course and have written to Reuters to tender a formal complaint.”
The group is therefore seeking full transparency and disclosure as well as asking the Uduaghan administration to publish the a full list of the 16 journalist and which Media Houses they belong to, a full list of all round one journalists and the Media Houses they belong to, total cost to the Delta state government, process, criteria and rationale for the selection of the journalists, provide a reason why the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Mr. Austin Mowah, and the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chike Ogeah also had to attend and among others.
The statement however expressed concern that “this is a scheme designed to extract funds from the state treasury and to extract continuing favours from loyal media houses, while alleging that there is also speculation that most of the media houses in the state are controlled by politicians via proxies and that this scheme may therefore by indirect use of public funds to further personal business interest of key people in the Uduaghan administration.
“The saddest part is the incompetence of the Uduaghan administration is that it’s not prone to taking correction and listening to good advice; the people deserve more information from the Commissioner of Information”.
