Borno Council: Saving the impending impeachment

Borno Council: Saving the impending impeachment

By, Sam Kayode

The recent WRONG committed due to breaking down of communication between comrades of the Nigerian Union of journalist NUJ Borno state Council and its Exco as a result of a clandestine land racketeering deal has spilt a lot of bad blood in the land.

It is now obvious from strong feelers in at least six chapel’s out of seven that it’s only a change of guard that can assuage the anger of colleagues who were left out of such a bad deal which involves their COMMONWEALTH.

The SECRET sale of land estimated at about N13m was a clear manifestation of the very corruption committed by partisan politicians we always point our index fingers at when writing our editorials and this brings big SHAME to some of us who have seen decades of experience of how to do the right thing in this profession. This is the kind of offence that the Borno Police command will invite colleagues to come and cover and some of us will wrongfully film the face of a suspect yet to be arraigned in a court of law.

Imagine parading our chairman, secretary and auditor before their own colleagues and then some unprofessional colleagues filming before arraignment. Dog eat dog you will say but that is what happens when the state council is not in liaison with the zonal officers. God forbid! I can preempt some colleagues saying.

But when you once had a zonal officer who will never attend our congresses even when so close in the information chapel, what precedent does that leave the unguided executive then and now? If the NUJ must have a future beyond what our forefathers left us we have to stop taking congress for granted the way this council has been treating us since the assumption of duty.

Secrecy was a legacy of the last failed zonal Vice President and we are not surprised it’s affecting the state council and some veterans as an index of development. No SEC member has a right to keep secrets from congress. It’s not permissible not even by a failed zonal VC who felt she was above the congress.

SECRET SALE OF NUJ LAND AT KANO ROAD JUST AFTER THE DEFUNCT BAKASSI IDP CAMP

The articles of the NUJ constitution are tied around truth which is why secrecy is not tolerated in any ramifications in our union. Not even by the SEC. But secrecy is very official in the Borno NUJ council even by those who claim to know. It is also worse when they refuse to call for congress.

When we started using diplomacy to make them call congress, they gave “Corona” as an excuse. Long after the Corona was managed, they are still asking what do we have to discuss in congress? That to me is a very stupid question knowing full well that journalists are the wrong people to ever offend by hoarding information.

This is because they are different types of people both exposed and grossly unexposed even after answering the title of editor in his organization. When you hear some so-called editors talk, you will wonder if they went to school. And this happens because they jumped into editing ignorantly after the university without practising. So ” you need to be able to recognize which type you’re dealing with and respond appropriately”.

The secret sale of our land along the defunct Bakassi IDP camp is also an indication of the clear failure of the zonal Vice President of the NUJ who was in office than when Governor Kashim Shettima awarded 20 plots of land to the NUJ which was meant for our own good.

If not how can Governor Kashim give 20 plots of land and I will not be informed as to the representative of the NUJ President in this place? I will demand so many answers and the onus will be on the state council to furnish me with answers. The last zonal official was a clear failure on this which is why so many wrongs still persist. Even the eight plots they claim is remaining cannot be verified properly until we call a congress.

IRREVERSIBILITY OF THE RESIGNATION OF THE FOUR

And of course, how do you stick around in this financial mess if you were the Vice-chair who is next to the chair and the assistant secretary? I will resign and resist the temptation to be bought by any means to return to the status quo. I salute the courage of the four comrades who have done a very honourable and commendable thing by bowing out.

For some of us, the four comrades who resigned have a pedigree to protect and they did the right thing which nobody in congress can tell them to reverse with the gravity of the stench involved. Looking at the list of officers who resigned, two key finance officers, the treasurer and the financial secretary could have been badly rubbished if they had not done so.

Who knows they may dare to re-contest when the dust dies down one day. For now, only Satan himself can tell them to return now. And no right-thinking comrade will take instructions from Lucifer.

OUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE.

While the heat and pressure were being mounted on our remaining comrades to stand down and apologize publicly for doing wrong, I received a phone call from one of our zonal officer’s name withheld stating that they will arrive in Maiduguri today to stop the stray of the bad blood into the hands of the Police and EFCC who have a right to dabble into it if it results to violence.

In as much as the National office has informed us that they will be here, we believe it’s for good and not to rubbish the statutory camaraderie they enjoy from the congress of states. Basically, issues for tackling by the expected colleagues from the national office who would be meditating and bringing a sound solution to the mess created by the council is well known to all.

There are so many expectations from members already over what they feel would be the final solution to the myriads of mistakes made by this council.

1. Primary among these challenges which we expect to be sorted out is creating a soft Landing for the remaining three Exco members to leave honorably without too much disgrace. I wish use this medium to salute the secretary, Moh Ibrahim who has owned up that a mistake has been made and was willing to tender his own share of the loot of about N4m which was given to him to build the fence by direct labour as we were informed . He also knows that his tenure as the secretary is over until a new Exco is elected. We are watching the remaining two.
2. Pending mistakes of Borno council: Correction of some of the lapses in the way things are done in the council. It is because of this lapses that the treasurer Hawa Bata is not a signatory to the account. How can a chairman of any council in Nigeria be the only signatory to our joint account? That is wrong and it’s a dangerous precedent that should be corrected by the representative of NUJ President before leaving town. It is fraudulent, criminal and a complete breach of the principles of transparency, truth and trust which we all stand for. This should be stopped even before the care taker committee takes over. So in summary:

A. You don’t decide on your own as the chair to sell land without telling congress. It’s wrong. This must be knocked into the heads of the next caretaker Exco.

B. You do not approach the National office about any information concerning the commonwealth of comrades without telling them first it’s wrong. SEC is not congress, congress was called only once last year and that is an insult to our collective responsibilities and freedom of association. Comrade chairman Baba Shek tried this and almost got impeached for bringing a letter from Abuja without talking to his own people. God used some of us to save his records that day by creating a safe landing for him and he is grateful to this day. If congress is supreme, you must massage the supremacy of congress before informing Abuja. No chairman in any council has the right to curtail the freedom of association of any member by such actions. It’s wrong.

C. It is not permissible for Exco to even have been involved in building a fence on a piece of land belonging to us as it stands. It must be given to a committee. From all the articles of the current constitutions I have seen and read since the era of comrade Sani Zoro when I registered as a member, such a matter should be handled by a committee. If the committee deems it fit to invite a Julius Berger so be it. If they must use the direct method, so be it.

3. Payment of our ground rent of both properties of the NUJ: This and any other outstanding dues owed Bogis should be handled speedily so we do not become breakers of the law. We should pay some cash to show we own the ground and are not above the law. And above all we must have a transparent accountability of where our dues are being spent.
4. Preparation for election of next set of officers who will maintain the sanity and unite the congress. This role must be placed on the front burner by the care taker committee soonest.

I believe the representative of Mr President will be in a sound mind and will surely do the needful to ensure that this LINGERING break down of communication will not repeat itself after this time ar