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The Anambra State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to collaborate with journalists for coordination and management of information in the state to make his government more effective.
Mr. Humphrey Nwafor who is the Chairman of NLC in the state made this call at the NUJ 2023 Veterans and Patrons’ Day to celebrate and install patrons and veteran journalists.
Among the installed patrons of the union were Cosmas Imoka, CEO of ADC Imoka Farms and Agro Allied Industries Ltd and Dr. Jane Nkolika Ezeonu, FWACP Consultant Public Health Physician and Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Anambra State branch.
The NLC boss said NUJ and state government’s synergy would not only facilitate development of the state, but would also enable teeming population within and outside the state to be better informed about happenings in the state.
He promised that NLC would do its part to help the state’s journalism industry develop and thrive.
‘NUJ is known for its doggedness to see that society hears things as they are; it is the responsibility of journalists to guide society into becoming what it wants,’ he said.
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Earlier in his keynote address titled: ‘Nigeria Union of Journalists: The Essence and Roles of Patrons and Patroness in the Uplift of the Union,’ Head, Mass Communication Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Cornelius Ukwueze, said NUJ was populated by unsung heroes and heroines, who impacted society in their careers as journalists.
Describing the patrons as influential personalities in their areas of specialisation, Ukwueze challenged them to use their influence to protect journalists from suppression, oppression and discrimination in the state.
‘Veterans journalists deserve to be celebrated because they survived all the odds and hazards of practising journalism in the country.
‘They should use their wealth of knowledge to nurture upcoming journalists for the growth and expansion of the profession. They should also use their power and influence to better the working conditions of those still active in the service,’ he said.
The State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Sir Joseph Uchendu, lauded NUJ’s initiative to celebrate its elders, urging journalists to see themselves as patrons of their union before anyone else.
